50,000 Words
by Pagen Godess
Summary: When able their time was spent together. Basking in love. Fifty thousand moments that would always be remembered. Fifty thousand ways to say 'I love you.' Fifty thousand words about them.
1. Dirty Jobs and Girls

Plot Bunny: It was a dirty job, but somebody had to do it.

_'Bond Speak'_

Diry Jobs and Girls

Optimus watched the group of girls carefully. It wasn't like he expected one of them to turn into a pretender at any moment but he was still a little paranoid. While not even near Red Alerts level of paranoia he supposed he had a fairly good reason to be a little paranoid. The young girls clad in bikinis were cleaning him after all even though his robotic self wasn't exactly awake one hundred percent at the moment. He supposed that the only real reason he was even letting the females near him with anything that was meant to get dirt and grim off of his true body was because he had been filthy. It was a dirty job, but somebody had to do it.

He'd been to busy as of late to get a good wash and it would take Sam far to long to was him and time, especially now, was something he didn't want to waste especially when it came to Sam. Every moment alone he could get with the boy was of the utmost importance to the Prime. They didn't have enough time together. He was busy with NEST and Sam was busy getting ready for finals. Even though they all knew he'd pass with flying colors he still had an act to keep up in front of everyone. One that required every acting skill the boy didn't possess.

The sound of loud giggles reached his ears through the audios of his robotic form. Being able to use every scanner and hear with every audio when using his holoform had its advantages. Like being able to ease drop on teenage girls who really didn't need to be talking about men that looked old enough to be their fathers. Optimus couldn't help but wonder if all human teenagers were like this when they were younger. Well maybe not he knew a few female soldiers at NEST who still acted like this.

'Optimus.' The feeling of love that followed his name had a soft smile appearing on the holoforms face almost immediately.

'Yes, Sam.'

'Where are you?' Sam asked and Optimus found himself frowning before he looked at the clock across the street. Opps. He was late and he'd forgotten to tell Sam that he might be.

'Sorry little one,' Optimus said trying to go for a bit of pity from his bonded. ' I stopped at a car wash being held by a group of girls and well their being...'

'Girls.' Sam ended the Primes sentence for him. Optimus could feel Sam's smile through their bond. Good the boy wasn't mad at him just amused.

'Yes. Do you want to know where I am or would you prefer to just wait?' Optimus asked.

'Depends how far away are you?'

Optimus looked at his surroundings. He was currently sitting at a table about thirty feet away from his true body in front of a small restaurant. He usually meet Sam at the Starbucks about a block and a half away from his collage. 'About two blocks away sitting in front of ...' Optimus' sentence trailed off as he turned to look at the sign behind him, ' the Dew Drop Restaurant.'

Recognition filled the link for a few moments. He knew Sam was thinking about whither or not he would be walking or not. His leg still hurt badly if he walked on it too much even though the bones had healed and the only thing that was left were the scars from surgery.

"I'll see you in a few minutes.' Sam's voice seemed to echo in his head for a few seconds as the boy stopped focusing on the bond and began walking again.

'Be careful.'

Though he received no reply Optimus knew that Sam had herd him. Talking to each other through the bond required more concentration that sending simple emotions and Sam still had to stop walking in order to focus enough to be able to talk. Optimus' attention was returned to the group of girls that he had been watching before. The ones that had also been talking about him in ways girls under eighteen had no right to be talking. It appeared that sometime during his talk with Sam they had finished and now they were huddled in a group talking to each other. As one girl looked at him and giggled it appeared they were still talking about him.

Optimus shook his head and thanked Primus he had never been a human teenager. There were somethings even he didn't want to know about and human adolescence was one of them. Primus forbid he and Sam had gotten together when the boy had been younger he didn't think that would have been a good thing. Though he loved the human to death he was quite happy with the more mature just as goofy Sam he had now that the one that had driven Bumblebee fritzy most of the time.

Blue eys watched as the group of girls pushed one of their members (a small brunette) out and started pushing her towards him. Optimus twisted his head so that one of his ears was facing the group and focused just a bit closer on them. Their conversation was quite easily herd through his audio's and transmitted to his holoform. It was as if Optimus was standing right next to the girls listening in.

"Just go ask him." One girl (a redhead) demanded as she pushed the other girl a few steps closer.

"But it's not right." The brunette whispered as she tried to push herself back.

"Just ask he looks like he could use some company. Besides he smiled earlier and it looked like it was at you." The red head hissed as she pushed all the harder. Clear blue eys rolled heaven word for just a moment. She though he had been smiling at one of them. How wrong she was.

The small brunette stopped fighting after a few moments and made her way towards him willingly though she was a little shaky. Optimus offer her a small smile as she stopped in front of him. He wasn't going to be rude to her just because her friends had jumped to conclusions.

"How much do I owe you?" Optimus asked. The girl looked at his for a moment with doe eyes before she shook herself and answered.

"Fifteen dollars for the wash." Optimus nodded and pulled out his wallet - one of the few real items he actually carried - and pulled out a twenty.

"Keep the change." The girl looked like she was about to protest but Optimus insisted. He didn't really need the five extra dollars. The only time he even spent the money he'd earned was when he was with Sam or they needed something at the base and he was on patrol and able to get it. The brunette opened her mouth to say something, perhaps to ask the question her friend had told her to ask, but was stopped as a familiar voice called out to Optimus.

"Hey."

Optimus turned and smiled as he watched Sam make his way over to him. He could see all the girls watching from the corner of his eye. Optimus pulled the boy into a hug as soon as he was close enough.

"I missed you." His deep voice seemed to rumble as Sam hugged him back a happy smile on his face.

"Missed you too." He replied as he leaned in and kissed the holoform on the cheek. There was a loud gasping noise from behind them that caused Sam to give Optimus a questioning look before he turned and spotted the group of girls behind them. "Sorry ladies." he called, " he's taken."

oOo oOo oOo

Authors Note's for 1

Ya I'm not all that sure how I got this out of that plot bunny but oh well. Now on to more important stuff. For the time being this fanfic is part of my NaNoWriMo project. I am actually working on a noval but they don't tend to go as well so I figured that as a side project for if I don't get my other one done I might be able to do 50,000 or more words with this. Hence the name. That and I thought it'd be fun to write a bunch of Optimus/Sam one shots. So for now all I know is that this collection will be fifty one shots long. As for the words I'm trying to do at least a thousand for each one but I'm having to more or less asume my word count. I think word count counts every three letters as words not counting spaces so if I go by that I get like twenty five words per line so I times that by my number of lines and presto a rough guess. Ya and don't be surprised if you start seeing new chapters in like half an hour. Chances are I'll have quite a few to post. I'm just giving people time to read and review for this before I post anything new.

Okay so here's my few notes for this chapter.

Optimus' wallet- I figure that the main reason he even has money is because Sam is a broke collage kid -not that'd I'd know what thats like- and can't really do much. So when ever Optimus comes to visit he spoiles him rotten.

Bond Talking- This I figure is kinda like talking on a cellphone minus the phone. Optimus can talk to Sam while moving due to the fact that he's used to being able to focus on several things at once -it comes with being a robot and all- while Sam who is still fairly young has to focus a lot harder for the talking to work. So he stops when talking so he won't do anything stupid like bumping into people or walking out into traffic. Because lets face it he gets into enouf trouble when he is focusing on something.

Sam's acting- I agree with most of the other people about Sam ending up really smart after the whole allspark thing. My story is that the photographic memory stays with him even after Egypt. So Sam more or less act's like he has trouble with things and takes the time to make it look like he's studying. He has no desire for people to find out he's so freakishly samrt and for them to start wondering how he got so 'gifted' when he wasn't before.

Thats about all I can think of for this chapter


	2. Mechaphilia

Plot Bunny: The humans that are in a relationship with Autobots are told that their relationships are wrong and are forced to attend therapy in hopes they will be 'cured' of their mechaphilia.

Mechaphilia

"You aren't the dude Lennox warned me about." Sam's voice chimed as the door behind him closed and the therapist walked into his visual range. The man in front of him had to be at least twenty years his senior with light grey hair and pale green eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses.

"No. I'm not the man that Mr. Lennox had his session with. He, I'm afraid won't be returning. I, Mr. Witwicky am Nathan Lynch." Dr. Lynch held out his had waiting for Sam to shake it. Sam only staired at the offered appendage for a second before crossing his arms over his chest. Lynch sighed before sitting down in the chair across from Sam. "I'm actually surprised that they let you come alone Mr. Witwic..."

"Call me Sam. I feel old if anyone other than Professors and important Government people call me Mr. Witwicky and trust me I'm not alone."

Lynch's pale green eyes swept around the room for a moment as if looking for whomever Sam was talking about. "Very well them Sam. If I may ask where is this person that came with you." Sam smirked and tilted his head back towards the door.

"Sitting outside in a chair next to the door." Lynch blinked. He had seen a man sitting outside the door but surrley that couldn't be one of them. He half expected the man outside to make an appearance. "Forget about him. He won't be coming in unless he really needs to. So can we hurry up I wanna get out of here. I have a date in three hours." That sure as hell cleared up Lynch's wondering thoughts.

"You have a date? Now is this one with a human or one of those machines?" Lynch asked leaning forward in his chair just a bit. Sam rolled his eyes before responding.

"It's not like it's really any of your damn business but I have a date with Optimus."

"So it's with the machine." Sam scowled.

"No it's with the Autobot." Lynch nodded a bit.

"I noticed that you have a wedding ring on your ring finger. Are you married?"

"Kinda."

Lynch raised an eyebrow. "Kinda?"

"Well we had a wedding but it wasn't anything big. Just something to make my mom happy. She was the one that gave us the rings. I can't complain it keeps girls from asking me out because they think I'm single."

"Does your robot wear his ring?" Lynch asked.

"Yes, Optimus wears his ring. It hangs from a chain in his cab and when his avatar is active he wears it on his finger." Sam said having stressed Optimus' name. This man was just a bad as the dude that had talked to Lennox. It was no wonder the Major had been so pissed after his appointment.

"I see. Sam I'm afraid I must ask why you chose Optimus over your girlfriend in the first place?" Optimus' name sounded odd coming from Lynch's mouth. Sam knew that the man had only said it to try and get on his good side. Not that it was really working all that well but he wasn't mad at the man...yet. He knew he probably would be by the time he got out.

"I didn't really have much of a choice. Mikaela was the one that cheated and snuck around while I was at collage." Sam looked at the ring adorning his finger while he said this. Lynch looked at him for a second before writing something down on his clipboard.

"So it was Mikaela that cheated?"

"Yup and a friend of mine caught her and told me."

"Was this friend of yours..." Sam was ready to throw up his hands in annoyance.

"Yes the person who told me was human. Miles has been my best friend since we were little." Lynch simply nodded his head in understanding.

"Does Miles approve of your relationship?"

"Why the hell does that matter. If I wanted to go out with Optimus it's none of his damn business."

"Do you know where Mikaela is now?" Lynch asked.

"Rehab." Lynch's head jerked up from at Sam's reply. The boys answer was a surprise to him. "She left me for some guy who got her addicted to drugs. The last time I saw her was while I was in the Hospital last January and she was practly stoned out of her mind. She hid it pretty well actually. It was Optimus who noticed." A sorrowful tone had filled Sam's voice. It was a tone that matched the sarrow that he felt inside.

Without thinking he reached out towards Optimus' end of the bond seeking the comfort and reassurance that he knew would be there. It had been Optimus who'd broken the news about Mikaela to him and Optimus who had assured him that her current state of health wasn't his fault in any way. Optimus' reply took a moment to cross the bond to Sam. He knew that the mech could tell what they had been talking about by the emotions running through Sam's body. The reply when it came was a warmth that filled his very soul with a loved feeling. It was like getting a hug from the worlds biggest, softest teddy bear.

He knew Optimus would understand better than anyone else ever would. Sam took a deep breath as he refocus his attention on Lynch. The man was giving him a weird look. Not that it surprised him all that much. Lennox had told him that he looked kinda spaced out when he was focusing on the bond. Sam sent Lynch a slight glare that had the man clearing his throat and looking back down at his clipboard.

"I see. We'll breach that subject more if it's necessary. Now then Sam I actually want to talk to you about what happened last December? All I really know is that you disapeared for about two weeks and when you turned up again it was at a Hospital in critical condition. Can you tell me about what happened?"

Sam growled as he looked at the shrink in front of him. "No way in hell am I talking to you about what happened last December. Everyone who needs to know what happened knows and those I don't want the whole story told to are told a very brief version." Sam was mad enough now to actually bang his fists against the table in front of him. Lynch gulped and pulled back from the table a bit hand up in front of him as if to protect him from Sam should the boy suddenly decide to attack.

"Look I know that the other robots held you hostage but I need too know what happened so I can help you." Lynch's voice held a practiced type of calm in it but there was just the slightest sound of fear hidden underneath.

"I already have someone to talk to about what happened in December and it sure as hell isn't you." Sam's voice was almost at a yell and he didn't seem to notice. It was only the sense of calm that Optimus sent down the bond that kept him from walking out of the room at that exact moment. Lynch quickly scribbled something before continuing.

"All right then so asking about that's out of the question." Lynch glanced down and was about to ask another question when Sam beat him to it.

"Why the hell am I even here?"

Lynch looked up at the young man before him. Hell he could pick out several good reasons right now by just looking at the boy. Maybe this could help though. "Lets compromise Sam. If you answer one of my questions then I'll answer one of your and we'll continue like that until your time is done." Sam seemed to think about it for a moment.

" All right, but no questions about December okay?" Lynch nodded in silent agreement.

"Alright Sam, and to answer your question your here. You and Mr. Lennox were called here due to having been diagnosed with sever cases of mechaphilia."

"Mechaphilia?" Sam asked with a raised eyebrow, "What the fuck is mechaphilia?"

"Mechaphilia is the desire to be with a mechine or in your case a robotic organism."

"You guys just pulled that word out of your ass's didn't you." Lynch sighed.

"You have to understand Sam that wanting to be with one of those things goes against human nature. It's almost like having the desire to have sex with a dead body. It's our hope that we'll be able to cure both you and Mr. Lennox of this illness." Whatever reaction the doctor had been expecting from Sam wasn't the one he got.

"No wonder Lennox was so pissed when he left. You went and accused him of wanting to have sex with a robot." Sam didn't sound mad that the shrinks though that his relationship with Optimus was wrong but highly amused. There was barley anything sexual in their relationship, they really didn't need it. In all truths Lennox's relationship with Ironhide was nothing more than a very deep brotherly love but the guys in the white suits didn't seem to understand that.

It was Lynch who found himself getting madder as more time went by. Didn't this kid see how wrong it was for him to be married to an alien life form.

"You don't seem to understand Sam. What are you going to do if you want to have children?" Much to Lynch's surprise Sam had an answer for this question too.

"We'll adopt. I mean it's not like there aren't hundreds of kids that could use a good home. Optimus already said he'd be more than happy to adopt a kid if I wanted one. Hell he was all for it."

"What makes you think that child services would let you have one?" Sam's amused look was slowly beginning to fade.

"Are you saying that they won't let a gay couple have a kid. I do believe that unless we can't provide the right environment for a kid then they can't really stop us."

"It wouldn't be fair to the child Sam." Sam snorted. Figures that the people they want to help him would be against things like same sex marriage or same sex couples adopting a kid. "Listen here you son of a bitch. I can grantee that any child raised amongst the Autobots would probably be treated better than any other child could imagine." Sam's fingers had curled inwards by that times. The muscles in his hands tightening to form fists. This guy was going to end up hit if he didn't shut up soon.

Lynch's chair made a terrible scraping noise as the man shot to his feet. His voice when he spoke was a quite whisper. "And what would happen after that child left when they were old enough to be out on their own? Please do tell me because I'm quite sure that they'd end up like that girl you left behind for the robot."

Anything Sam was about to say froze in his throat. Anger turned to shock and then something close to sorrow. Before Lynch could stop him Sam had turned and was out the door with Lynch close behind. The man that had been sitting in a chair besides the door stood up as Sam rushed out only stopping to pin Lynch to the wall with a glare that could have torn holes in a steel wall. He made sure that Lynch wouldn't follow before heading after the rapidly fleeing human that was supposed to be watching.

Sam wasn't quite sure what he was thinking when he had walked out only that he needed to get out of that damn room before he hit the man or burst into tears. Lynch didn't seemed to understand how horrible he still felt about Mikaela's situation or about the fate that somewhere deep down he still loved her in a way that someone always loves their first crush. He could hear Catilla's voice behind him asking him what was wrong but he didn't answer just kept moving out towards the parking lot. He just had to keep moving had to get to the truck he knew would be there waiting for him.

Optimus was always there when he needed him most and right now that was all that mattered. The tears began to roll as soon as he spotted the red and blue Semi waiting for him in the parking lot. Optimus' avatar leaning against the side waiting for him. He couldn't help it he practically ran into Optimus' arms when the avatar opened them. He loved Mikaela but it was only a silly first crush type of love. What he had with Optimus warmed his very heart and soul and made all his sorrows melt away like snow. It was a type of love that no other human being could ever understand and he didn't expect them too. He just expected them to deal with it.

Just a quick ramble before I hit a few points. I though you guys should know that this series of one shots is not only here to help me with my NaNoWriMo challange but it also helps me plot out my story DOg Collar and don't asume that just cause Sam's alive in this or I made Mikaela become a drug addict that it'll happen in Dog Collar cause it may or may not. I'm not quite sure yet. I'm actually kinda mad at that story for the moment because my computer went and deleated my half way finishe chapter and then screwed up my newer version of it and I lost half of it and am now having to redo it.

Okay story notes.

Lennox and Ironhide- As I said in the story they only have a deep brotherly love. (sorry to all you will hide fans) The ding bats who came up with the mechaphilia thing just can't tell that they don't like eachother like that.

December- The events of last December reffer to my story Dog Collar. Ya cause like I said up above most of these are here to help me figure out plot as well as make it to fifty thousand words by the end of the month.

Lynch- He's an ass and I wanted him to be an ass so get over it. He's ruled by homophobic logic and thinks all things that revole around same sex couple (or alien human couples) from marrage to kids are wrong.

Wedding- Sam and Optimus had a fake wedding to make Sam's mother happy and for some reason I can see Optimus making a big deal about this while Sam tell him to suck it up. I just may do a one shot on this one.

Thats all for now folks


	3. Fire

Plot Bunny: Boy and Truck versus Nature

Fire

They had been attacked. It was the same thing again and again. This time the Cons hadn't even bothered to check and see if they off lined him. He had to wonder if they assumed every semi with flames on the sides was him. It wouldn't surprise him if they did. But for the love of Primus why did they have to actually get him now. Granted he wasn't really hurt but it wasn't himself that he was worried about.

The fact was that as usual when he had Sam with him the boy had managed to go missing and right now really wasn't the best of times. The flames that raged around the still form of Optimus Prime threatened to completely overwhelm him if he didn't move soon. The forest had caught fire rather easily due to the sever lack of rain. Optimus shook his head and groaned as he stood his head snapping burning branches off of the trees that grew bigger than he did. His processor was still a little fuzzy and he was having trouble remembering all the details of what had happened.

He did know though that the Cons that had fired at him had forced him off the road some ways back. The guardrail had broken when he'd slammed into it and both he and Sam had gone over and into the forest. There hadn't been a drop thankfully but the side of the mountain had been very steep. Optimus shook his head for a moment as his optic's powered up to their full visual range. He remembered transforming and taking a tight hold on Sam while the two of them had slid down.

The memory of what had caused his temporary status came back to him after a few more seconds. One of the Cons had fired at his feet and the explosion had forced him forward. He'd let go of Sam after they had hit the forest floor and before he'd stopped moving. But the question was where was Sam now? He couldn't be that far away.

"Sam!" Optimus called as he took a step forward. A large oak snapped behind him and crashed to the ground as it was overcome with flames. "Sam where are you?" He called again. He wasn't in any danger from the flames and all the smoke would do would be to irritate the vents that took in air in order to keep his systems from overheating.

But Sam was a different story. Too long in the smoke and heat would kill the boy. He was about to call out to the boy again when the faintest of tugs on the bond between them stopped him. Stopping dead in his tracks Optimus turned his calling inwards and towards the bond.

'Where are you Sam?' he asked his voice almost reaching a state of panic. Sam's reply when it came sounded weak and fuzzy.

'Not sure. I remember you letting me go and hitting the ground... I think I rolled a bit but after that...' Sam paused for a moment trying to remember. 'I don't think your too far away from where I'm at.'

'Can you tell me anything about your surroundings Sam?' Optimus asked.

'Can't see anything but fire and smoke. I can show you though.' A low mechanical grow escaped Optimus' vocal processor.

'Don't you dare Samuel. Doing that takes too much of your energy.' Optimus' order was met with amusement.

'I'm not going anywhere anytime soon Optimus. I'm stuck and I think I hurt my leg when I hit the ground.' Whatever amount of worry Optimus had carried moments before tripled now.

'Which leg?' Sam's reply brought a slight sense of relief for the briefest of seconds.

'Left leg.'

He was starting to sound far away. Optimus knew he had a choice to make neither of them good. He could either refuse Sam's offer of showing him where he was and risk not being able to find him and him dieing or he could let Sam show him and risk Sam dieing while he made his way towards him.

The only good thing that came out of Sam showing him was the sense of exact location that came with it. There was a sigh in the Prime's voice when he next spoke.

'Show me, Sam.' His surroundings began to fade and change almost immediately after he opened the bond completely.

His point of view shifted and after a moment he could smell smoke and feel the heat from the flames. He spent the first few seconds disoriented before he was able to think clearly again. He was trapped and trapped good. He cringed as he turned his head in order to look at his left leg. It was pinned underneath part of a fallen tree. Smoke was stealing his breath away, filling his lungs, and he couldn't breathe...

'Enough, Sam!' Optimus cried as he pulled himself back breaking the affect of Sam's showing.

'Sorry.' Sam's voice whispered through the bond. And it was just that a whisper. A barley there voice but that was okay Optimus knew where Sam was now. The boy had been right he was close barley a few hundred feet away. But the flames rose higher with every passing second and he knew that if he didn't hurry Sam would either be badly burned or dead by the time he found him.

The fire burning around him was devouring everything it touched like a hungry animal. The flames made seeing where he was going difficult. He was used to being careful when he walked not that care just just increased. It only took him a minute to reach the area where Sam was but over that minute his awareness of Sam had faded at an almost alarming rate. Needless to say it didn't take Optimus long to find him.

Sam was lucky that he hadn't been squished by the part of the tree that had fallen and trapped him. It didn't matter though for it would only take Optimus a few seconds to free the boy all he had to worry about was the fire that was steadily creeping closer to them with every passing second and the derbies that were falling from above. But then that was still more worry for Sam. It wasn't hard to lift the fallen part of the tree and free the boy.

A scan ran over Sam almost instantly. No permanent damage. He'd be coughing for awhile and he'd need stitches but that was about it. Much to the Primes amazement he'd escaped the flames with only slight burns and those weren't very bad. Harsh coughs racked the boys body as his lungs tried to exchange smoke for air. Tears welled up in Sam's eyes from the effort and when he spoke it sounded like his throat was raw.

"I hate seekers you know that." Optimus couldn't help but chuckle.

"I think Sam that that is a hatred we are both beginning to share. I just don't understand why they didn't come after us. They probably could have finished us off if they had been lucky." Sam smiles at Optimus. It was often that the Autobot leader bragged about his skill in battle and even then this was as close as he ever really came. Eyes glancing up now that they were far enough away from the smoke and flames to actually see the sky Sam saw a possible reason for the seekers retreat.

"Maybe they don't like storms." Sam said as the first clap of lightning flashed across the sky." Optimus looked up and let out a short groan before looking back down at Sam.

"Will we ever catch a break little one." Sam snorted.

"The day we do hell will freeze over." The first splatters of rain struck soft notes off of Optimus' armor and the mech couldn't help but agree with his young bonded.

"That sounds about right little one.

oOo oOo oOo

Damn that one was a pain in my ass but ehh I'm not going to complain. Worst case scenaro is that I just go and do another fic with this plot bunny. Not to bad in my view and I figured I give Sam a break because lets face it I like torturing my favorite charectors and well Sam's a fav.

Story Notes

Seekers shooting at random trucks- That line was inspired by the thought of some of our less inteligent Cons shooting at any trucks that had flames painted on them just in case it was Optimus or something. I think them shooting random trucks is fun like killing sheep in spyro for no reason other than the fact that you can.

Sam's leg- Idea for an injury either from the 09 movie or my own invention. My friend pointed out that his leg goes at an odd angle when he dies so who knows maybe he broke it. If that doesn't do it for you then make up your own reason. I won't stop you.

The seeing thing- I just wanted to screw around with Optimus with the whole sam being able to show him where he was thing and Optimus being able to feel what he felt while doing it. I figure doing that will make him feel small. Cause lets face it Optimus could make Hitler feel like a five year old it they were to ever meet. He's just that good.

OKay I'm done for now.


	4. Law of Bonds

Plot Bunny: No one knows exactly what bonding entails until they bond. It is the law.

Law of Bonds

No one knows exactly what bonding entails until they bond. It is the law. Maybe that's why so many of the new arrivals to Earth give him looks like he had a lower ranking on their totem poles than every Decepticon on Earth. Is it because they don't understand why he and Optimus are bonded? It's an actual spark bond now rather than the one the Primes had gifted them with.

There are times when the femmie Elita One looks at him like he belongs under her feet. Optimus told him that at one time they had had a relationship and that the possibility of them bonding had been great. Their relationship had turned out a bit like his and Mikaela's. Of course Elita hadn't cheated and then lied about it like Mikaela had but still the way she looks at him hurts because he knows that had he not bonded to Optimus the two of them would have gotten along just fine. She just doesn't seem to understand that Optimus loves her more like a sister now than as a lover.

Both of them had tried to tell her that... Hell he'd actually apologized to her but it hadn't changed a most of her team gives him odd looks when he passes them. Needless to say he tends to avoid them. The only one he ever speaks at length with is Chromia and that's only because she knows the things about him that they won't tell the others and the other members of her team won't ask.

Its not that Optimus want's to hide anything from them it's just that some questions need to be asked before answers can be given. Most of the new Autobots don't want to ask those questions they don't care. All they know is that Optimus has a bond with a human and in their processors it's wrong with a capital W.

There are of course those that have taken the time to ask both him and Optimus questions and they seem to understand at least a little bit now. They don't look at him like he should be under their feet or like he's a thief who's trying to take away their leader. Then there were those who just didn't care. They were happy that Prime was happy and their bond hadn't caused any real trouble so they left them alone.

Sam was thankful for those that just accepted their bond for what it was and left them alone about it. He didn't like having to explain the events that had lead to their bond having to become more than what it had been. Not that neither of them hadn't wanted something more but he knows deep down that one of the reason's he had done it was because Optimus had needed answers ones he hadn't had the courage to supply. They had needed to know what had happened to him that December. He also knew that if Optimus hadn't bonded with him he'd have gone completely and totally insane or taken a knife to his wrists.

But mostly he knew that there was three big reasons Optimus had done it and that was the best and most simple reason of all. Optimus loved him and had needed him and hadn't wanted to loose him. It was that simple and he loved Optimus just as much and at times even more than the mech could ever know. Optimus had saved him in more ways than one the night they had bonded. There had always been something between them but neither one of them had ever been aware of if untill after Egypt when the Matrix had formed the first fragile threads of a bond.

Sam hadn't even realized the bond had been there until the whole ordeal with Mikaela had happened. It had been Optimus who had found him when he'd wondered off to be alone and wallow in his own misery. Optimus who had let him cry out his broken heart until he'd fallen asleep in the arms of his avatar. With Optimus things had been easy. There was never any rush or hesitation. When he'd stumbled over those three little words after only a few weeks Optimus had only smiled and said them back. There was something about them that seemed natural no matter how unnatural their relationship was.

With Optimus things were easy and he always knew that he was loved. There were never any maybe's or maybe not's. The feeling was always there in the back of his mind ready to fill his body like a deep cleansing breath. Things between them were simple. The way true love was supposed to be.

oOo oOo oOo

No one knows exactly what bonding entails until they bond. It is the law. But humans couldn't bond. It was they way of their kind. They had love but it was almost never the true love that love is supposed to be. More often than not it's just as fragile and easily broken just like humans are. Maybe that why some of the humans give him looks like they want him to leave. He knows just as well as the other how primitive the human race can be. He has to give them credit though for they are trying but still. There are those few members of NEST that look at him like they expect him to take away their children.

There are those that understand. Those few that have found that true love in their own lives and he wishes them the best of luck just like they wish it for him.

Then there are those that tried too. Those that seem to understand what he and Sam have together and are trying to come to their own decisions. Most of them are friendly enough asking questions and trying their best to hide their discomfort around him because they know deep down that he'll take care of the boy. And there are those of the second kind that will fall into the last group.

There are some that are stuck in their ways. Race should date the same race, gender the same gender and species the same species. They're the ones that both confuse and annoy him the most. They even go so far as to give Sam a hard time and the poor boy's had enough to deal with already with out these simple minded dolts adding to his burden.

Then there are always their friends. The people and Autobots whose only wish is to see them both happy and they both are. He knows that Sam sadly suffers from the same type of treatment from those of his kind who have the same processor set as some of the humans. They both try to get through to either side but more often than not their attempts fail.

They don't understand and they never will. Few know about the circumstances that led to the formation of their spark bond. Some know that he needed the information and others only know that he'd done it to help the boy recover. even fewer knew how close Sam had come to falling over the edge of insanity after the events that had taken place that December. If he had fallen he's have taken Optimus with him.

There had been something so very wrong with Sam but he'd felt it. No matter what state of mind Sam had been in he'd always felt the love Sam held for him. So much emotion held in such a little body. It had only taken him a second to make his decision and Sam had wanted it as well. He hadn't known anything more than he wanted something more with Optimus.

The longing for the bond be complete, to be a true bond had been overwhelming for the both of them. Neither one of them had though it wrong when Sam had reached out to touch his spark and the ties that formed the bond had turned into something akin to steel cables holding the two of them together. They had never been happier. He had never been happier.

This was what was meant to be between them and he wasn't going to fight it. He was going to reject the love that Sam felt for him not when he in turn felt the same for the boy. The humans could give him all the dirty looks they wanted too. It didn't matter. He had a love so pure and deep that even Primus himself would envy him. And he was content with that knowledge.

oOo oOo oOo

It's funny how end the end neither one of them cares about what others think of their love. No matter how forbidden it seems to be by either race. Lennox once compared them to Romeo and Juliet minus the fighting houses and plus the annoying people and bots who don't understand. There are times when they seem like the star crossed lovers even though they never actually have to sneak anywhere to be with one another.

But sometimes work loads get heavy and collage and meetings with important people get hectic and to smashed together. It's during those times, when they can't be together for days -sometimes weeks- that they open their ends of the bond to the fullest and simply bask in the love they hold for each other. They don't need anyone else. All they really need is each other.

oOo oOo oOo

I actually really like this one though I sure it got confising for you guys at times. Sorry about that but I can't explain or I'd be giving away plot idea's for Dog Collar. I'm at 6480 words so far. This dosn't count authors notes.

Only one this time

Bots and Humans - I figure that when it comes to Optimus' and Sam's sparkbond that there are going to be some bots and people who are fine with it, some in the middle and some who hate it. Cause lets face it if the Transformers didn't have some sort of prejudice then there wouldn't be any cons.


	5. Premonition

Plot Bunny: "I'm going to die soon." It was always upsetting when those words popped into your head. You can't help but be afraid it's a premonition (especially if it was a dream).

Premonition

"I'm going to die soon." It was always upsetting when those words popped into your head. You can't help but be afraid it's a premonition (especially if it was a dream).

He'd had dreams like this since he was little (most people he knows had them too) never quite the same but never ending either. The end result was always the same. His death and more often than not the death of many others as well. But as of late each and every one of his dreams had been of his death and sadly everyone of them has been the same.

He hasn't had the heart to talk to Optimus yet and telling Bumblebee would only upset his guardian. The fact that he could die at any moment had haunted his best friend and guardian since Egypt. He knows that revealing the dreams will just upset the others and now more than ever he wants to avoid that. The war isn't going as well as they had hoped. Sure they'd had a few months of peace and quiet but Megatron had showed up again and this time he had an army following him. They were badly out numbered and everyone knew that if they didn't play this game with the utmost care they could loose everything in a matter of minutes.

His job as ambassador had gotten more than difficult after Megatrons return. He'd barley had anytime to rest. Most days he was awake for twenty hours minimum and as the fighting had escalated his time for sleep had dropped even lower. The stress that doing his job was putting on his body was phenomenal. He knew that Ratchet and many of the other medics, both human and Autobot, wondered how he hadn't died in the stressful weeks he'd been running himself more than ragged. Lennox and the others had tried to make time for him to take a break but more often than not they failed. There was always someone else who wanted to speak to him or he in turn needed to speak too.

Mikaela had left not long into his frantic new schedule. She hadn't been able to handle the fact that he had to do his job and couldn't spend time with her when she wanted him too. She'd tried to get him to quit, hell a lot of people had but the government had shot down each and every one of their attempts. He was to good an ambassador to let go, especially now. He was stuck and no one could pull him out. The days after Mikaela had left would be a blur to his mind. He wouldn't be able to remember much of anything except for endless meetings and Optimus.

The Autobot leader seemed to be about the only one that he could ever get any time with and even most of that was spent with him asleep in the Semi's back seat. He hadn't even known where the others were and much to his shame he'd always been to tired to remember to ask but Optimus had never forgotten. More often then not he had drifted to sleep listening to Optimus tell him about what the others were doing and where they were. He'd been grateful to the leader for remembering because he couldn't but Optimus never seemed to mind his absent mindedness. He'd always taken Sam's tired muttering in stride never complaining and always letting him talk till he fell asleep or ran out of things to say. Sam never really knew why the Autobot leader was still on base and not off helping fight the war. He never questioned it either. If Optimus wanted him to know why he was still on base then he'd tell him.

The day his exhaustion had finally caught up with him was something he never would forget not as long as he lived. If he lived much longer. The nightmares still rang clear in his mind and he was still ignoring them. The others had been keeping a close eye on him for long enough that he'd started to ignore the sharp looks they tended to give him when he'd pass them in the halls. He knew he looked terrible. The dark shadows under his eyes looked like they'd been there for years sticking out on skin that was far too pale. Sunlight was something he didn't tend to see much of either though he tried to spend as much time as possible outside. He'd lost weight as well not much but enough that people would notice.

He knew his mother would freak if she saw the way he looked now. He'd actually been on his way back to his room when he'd first started to feel ill. Some one had managed to talk the people he was supposed to be meeting with over the next few days to give him a break. He'd have to ask Lennox who had managed that small miracle for him and thank them after he got some rest. He'd barley managed to make it to his room before he'd become physically ill.

He thanked God that he actually made it to the toilet before he puked up what he'd had for breakfast. It didn't taste as good coming up as it had going down. He'd barley heard the sound of his cellphone ringing and had wondered if the person calling him would be mad if he didn't pick up or call them back anytime soon. He'd hoped the ringing would stop soon it was making his head hurt unfortunately for him it started ringing again only seconds after it had stopped the first time. He hated whoever was calling him with a passion at that moment. His head hurt and he wasn't through being sick yet.

Fifteen minutes later he was still leaning against the toilet but thankfully his puking had given way to occasional dry heaving. He didn't want to move and truthfully he didn't know it he had the strength to move. He vaguely wondered how bad some one would freak out if they walked into his room looking for him and found him sleeping on the bathroom floor. Sam's eyes shifted sideways to stare at the floor in question. It actually looked halfway inviting and all he had to do to get there was lean away front the support of the toilet. Hell, he could even use a towel as a pillow. He bet the floor was nice and cool too because he was freaking hot. Fever he knew and sadly he couldn't bring himself to care all he was thinking about at the moment was how much relief the tile floor might bring. Sam eyed the floor debating on whither or not he wanted to use what little energy he had to get there.

Ya he decided a moment later it was definably worth it. Unfortunately for him he tumbled more than eased himself down like he had planned. In the end however it didn't matter he was on the floor and it felt nice and cool compared to his fever flushed skin. He didn't even need a towel for a pillow he was good as is. He didn't know how long he'd been asleep when something cold touched his forehead and began to pull him from the fog of his own head. He knew the voice that was calling his mane but for some reason he couldn't figure out what it was doing in his bathroom and he didn't want to open his eyes to see if it was true. If Optimus was really in his bathroom.

"Sam?" That voice seemed to echo around in his head for a moment. "Come on Sam wake up." He knew it was more order than request or was it the other way around. It didn't really matter he didn't want to get up. He just wanted to lay here and be hot and cold and miserable at the same time. He wanted to drift back to sleep where the new aches and pains that ran throughout his body couldn't find him anymore.

Optimus wasn't sure if he should be annoyed or worried. So he settled for both as he crouched by Sam's still form watching the boys chest rise and fall in a rapid pattern. Sam wasn't healthy. Ratchet had warned him about the possibility of Sam getting sick because he was so stressed and his body so warn down. It had taken him hours to talk various government officials to lay off for a few days so Sam could get some sleep. He hadn't argued soon enough. He'd gotten worried when Sam hadn't answered his phone and it had eventually lead to him coming to check on the boy. Needless to say he didn't like what he had found.

"Sam you need to get off the floor. Come on Sam." Optimus was care full to keep his voice quiet when he spoke. Sam had cringed as if in pain when he'd spoken earlier.

"Don't wanna get up. Feels good here." Sam's voice came out as a mere whisper. Optimus shook his head even though he knew Sam wasn't looking at him. He still had his eyes clinched shut.

"I know Sam but you can't sleep here it's not good for you." Optimus said this as he moved to pick Sam up. Sam let out a soft groan as Optimus picked him up before he buried his face into the cool skin of the avatar's neck. Optimus froze as Sam's skin made contact with his. Sam's fever had gone up. This wasn't good his temperate was going up too fast. At this rate he knew he wouldn't make it to the infirmary before Sam's temperate reached dangerous levels.

"Sam. If I sit you on the toilet seat do you think you can stay there without falling?" He'd planned on putting Sam in his bed but right now he didn't want the out of arms length. At the rate things were going he'd have to hold Sam up before long.

"Can try." Sam's voice slurred as if drunk. Optimus nodded. Trying was good enough for him. Sam jumped when the lid of the toilet seat slammed closed. It took a minute for Optimus to get him situated so the he was leaning against the counter next to the toilet head resting on the cool surface. Optimus watched Sam for a moment being sure the boy wasn't about to fall over before he moved over to the bathtub. The best way he could think of to bring Sam's fever down was to give him a bath in cold water. Soon the only noises in the small room were the sound of Sam's ragged breathing and running water. Optimus almost jumped when Sam tugged at the hem of his shirt. Optimus turned in his crouching position and came face to face with a pair of dull brown eyes.

"What's wrong Sam?" The answer was slow coming but when it did come it didn't exactly surprise him.

"Thirsty."

Optimus nodded and moved to get the glass that sat on one side of the sink. Sam could hear the sound of he sink facet even over the roar of the water he knew was falling into the tub on his other side. Sam knew that he had opened his eyes but nothing in front of him seemed to make sense. It seemed like everything was moving in slow motion. It was making him sick to his stomach again. Sam blinked as Optimus moved back into his line of sight.

Sam's brain froze for a moment. What the hell was going on Optimus wasn't human he was a robot. A big fucking robot from outer space. Oh wait. Holomatter avatars, he'd forgotten about them. A glass swam into Sam view not long after Optimus did. He felt like he was underwater. The water that slid down his sore throat moments later was the best thing Sam had ever tasted. He could feel it as it made it's way down.

Optimus was talking to him again but he couldn't hear what the mech was saying. He could see his lips moving but no sound reached his ears. Everything had gone white around the edges. Sam blinked and everything around him seemed to rush. He knew without knowing that he was loosing time. There was something wrong. His awareness was slipping because after he blinked again Optimus had him in his arms. What was going on with him.

Blue eyes stared deep into fever filled brown.

"Sam? Are you all right?" He was worried. Sam hadn't been responding to anything he'd said to him for the past few minutes. They were running out of time. Sam was running out of time. His fever had gone up another degree. Optimus gulped as he held Sam's wrist in his own hand feeling for the pulse he knew would be there. The beat was erratic and fast. He hated what he was about to do and the warning that wasn't going to come. There wasn't any need. He didn't think Sam could hear him anyways. Optimus prayed for forgiveness from empty brown eyes. In one swift motion he had Sam in the water of the tub. The response was instant. Sam screamed.

Holy shit!

What the hell had he done to deserve the sudden cold that washed over him. The sudden cold was almost painful. Breaths became harder to find as the cold seeped into his very bones. The white around the edges of his vision covered more of the blurry images in front of his face.

"Your times running out youngling."

Sam's head jerked to the side at the sound of a semi familiar voice that filled his head. The cold seeping into his bones was fading and a dull warmth was taking it's place. He could hear someone shouting his name as the white took over completely.

"You've lived on borrowed time youngling. We tried to warn you but you didn't but neither of you listened."

The thought that entered his mind next was one of the clearest he'd had all day.

"What do you mean?"

"The dreams youngling we tried to warn you through the dreams. You didn't listen and now your time is up." Everything around him faded completely except for the screams that still rang loud in his ears. Someone was calling his name.

Optimus struggled to hold the thrashing body in his grip. He'd started thrashing seconds after he put him into the water. Optimus didn't think he'd ever hate himself more than he did the moment that Sam had screamed. He knew the cold water would be a shock but he hadn't expected this. Sam had been so out of it he hadn't even noticed when he'd been stripped down to his boxers. He'd hoped to get a reaction but still...

He could hear Lennox and Epps just down the hall. They'd be there soon. Optimus attention was pulled back to the boy in his arms stilled for the briefest of moments before he began full on convulsing. Optimus yelled as Sam slipped from his arms.

"Optimus!" Optimus only spared the soldiers a glance.

"Help me hold him down." the order was out and followed without a second thought. "He's up to a hundred and four." The panic in Optimus ' voice was evident.

"Optimus hows his pulse?" Lennox asked as he moved over to the struggling mech. Sam had practically pulled him down into the tub with him. As Epps moved to help Optimus hold Sam down. Lennox felt for a pulse and he didn't ike what he found. The pulse beneath his fingers was slow almost struggling. Shit, they were running out of time. Lennox turned to look at Optimus and whatever he was about to say died in his throat. Sam teeth were clamped down around Optimus' wrist.

"Doesn't that hurt?" Optimus shook his head no.

"It's better than letting him bite or swallow his tongue." Moments passed in silence as Sam's convulsing slowed and then stopped completely.

"Sam?" Optimus' voice was tense as he looked at the still human in his arms. He could feel Lennox or Epps pulling his wrist out of Sam's mouth. He didn't care all he had eyes for was the still form of the human in his arms. Something wasn't right. Panic struck hard and fast as he realized what was wrong.

"Lennox he's not breathing!" There was a flurry of movement as they pulled Sam from the tub and moved him to the floor. Lennox cursed under his breath. He didn't want to see this happen again. He couldn't see it happen again. He didn't know what to do. For the first time in his long life he didn't know what to do. Probably because there was nothing he could do in this situation. Seconds turned into minutes. Nothing changed. There was no whisper of breath and no beating of a heart. Gone. Sam was gone.

"We tried to warn you Brother but you didn't listen."

Someone was screaming. Calling out to the boy laying still on the floor with two soldiers looking defeated. It took him a moment to realize the one screaming was him

oOo oOo oOo

Muscles jerked as Sam sat straight up in bed chest heaving and out of breath. He'd had another one. Another one of those dreams. Moving carefully so that he wouldn't wake the person sleeping beside him Sam slid out of the bed and made his way towards the bathroom. The pale light provided by a night light cast ghostly shadows across his face as he entered the room. It took a moment for the water in the tap to start running but he wasn't in any hurry to go back to bed not yet. He hated going back to bed covered in sweat.

Grabbing a washcloth from the nearby towel rack Sam held it under the cool water for a few seconds before he ran it over his face and arms. Placing the wet rag on the counter by the sink when he finished Sam took a moment to look at his reflection. He looked terrible. All pale with dark shadows under his eyes. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath letting out a sigh a moment later. A pair of strong arms snaked their way around his waist before he'd managed to open them again.

"What's wrong little one?" Optimus deep voice filled his right ear as his lover rested his head on his shoulder. Sam opened his eyes and stared at their reflection in the mirror in front of him. Optimus looked like a god compared to him.

"Nothing Optimus. I just woke up all sweaty." Optimus nodded in understanding before he lead the boy back towards their bed.

"I'm going to die soon." It was always upsetting when those words popped into your head. You can't help but be afraid it's a premonition (especially if it was a dream).

He understood now and he'd keep his silence until his time came. Optimus didn't need the extra worry and their was nothing that could be done to stop it. He was living on borrowed time but as he snuggled into Optimus' arms he realized he was fine with that.

oOo oOo oOo

OMG. this freaking one shot seemed like it was never going to end. 3232 words and I'm actually quite proud of myself. My friend started calling this the never ending one shot. That got a laugh out if me. I'm hoping to get one more one shot posted before I leave later today like around three in the afternoon because with any luck I'll get to sleep till twelve.


	6. Officially Dead

Plot Bunny: "So, I'm officially dead now?"

Officially Dead

He'd been in this place before though when he had last been here had been burned away by time and new memories. But still this place rang of familiar in the back of his mind. Why was he here? Oh ya. He remembered now the battle. He'd been fighting and something behind him had exploded and he'd gotten caught in the blast. That made sense but he still didn't understand why he was here. He'd died before and every time they had sent him back.

He'd had a job to do and there were battles to be fought. He'd gotten good at fighting after fifty thousand years. He was well known amongst both the Autobots and Decepticons. One side practly worshiped him while the mere mention of his name was enough to send others running in terror. Decepticons running from an organic.

Megatron would freak if he knew that some of the most feared creatures in the universe were scared of an organic. They had reason to be. He'd made a name for himself taking down some of the most ruthless Cons that the Transformers species had ever seen. When he was on the battlefield no one was spared if they got in his way. Only one had ever been able to talk him out of killing and he'd been offline for nearly sixteen hundred years.

The mere thought of Optimus Prime sent a sharp bolt of pain throughout his entire being. After Optimus had gone no one had dared try to talk sense into him. Not even his own team. They had more sense than that and most of them though that the Con's he killed disserved what they got. Which was usually an arrow in the head and that was only if they were lucky. No Con crossed the human Prime and lived to tell the tell and those who did never made it past their next encounter with him. The white void in front of him seemed to quiver for a moment as if afraid.

Oh yes he had earned the name of Prime. Each and every mark had been carved into his skin along with it's lessons. He'd made the first mark in the crook of his left arm himself long ago and Megatron had made the second. The rest followed through various missions. Many of them failed. Rumor amongst many had it that he was a little nuts. If only they knew the truth.

He was actually quite sane. The word they were looking for was wild. He wasn't bound to one side of behavior like the Transformers seemed to be. He could stray on the path between light and dark as much as he wanted. It was human nature after all. It only seemed right that the animal that was his instincts got to play every once in a while.

Optimus had understood and allowed the wild side of him to play but he'd never let him go too far. There had to be some sort of control in order to keep him from going completely wild. He was a beast that could be controlled but never fully tamed. Optimus had had the power to do it, to kill the beast that lurked at the back of his mind. He'd never done it. He'd never completely tamed or slain the beast. Optimus had admitted that they needed the skills that he had been able to provide and he had been more than happy to provide them when it came to off lining Decepticons. The white around him shivered again and a pale figure appeared. Sam blinked and looked up at the towering figure that was a Prime. He couldn't tell which one it was.

"So, I'm officially dead now?" The voice that emerged from his throat wasn't the same soft voice he'd had as a teenager but a harsh rasp due to many attempts to slit the vital veins that were hidden beneath scarred skin.

"Dead little one? Yes you are dead." There was something about that voice. It was so familiar but there was something different. There was something gone that had always been there. And the nickname very few had ever dared call him that.

"Are you sending me back after this lecture?" He had to ask. Had to know if this was the end or just another lecture before he was sent back so he could fight and so his soul could suffer without the other at the opposite end of a broken bond. Would they let him rest this time or not? The form in front of his became a bit clearer as if it was moving forward so it could be more easily seen. Perhaps it was.

"Why do you think that?" the voice that spoke to him sounded curious and somewhat amused. Still there was something so familiar about that voice. Like he'd herd it before but time had dulled the memory so much that he couldn't recognize it. And still there was that little something missing. Sam felt it only right to answer with the truth. He had never lied to any of the past Primes before.

"You always seem to send me back. Every time I die you send me back to fight more because I'm of use." The figure in front of him nodded in understanding.

"You are of great use. To my kind and to yours." The towering figure in front of him paused as if to add dramatic affect. "Your time on the mortal plane has come to an end. The was is over little one, once and for all. The Autobots have triumphed and peace shall rain for a very long time. You shall not be sent back for it is time that you rested."

If Sam could have cried he would have at the pure joy that the large mech's statement sparked deep within his very being. No more fighting, no more pain, no more sorrow, and no more suffering. The words that emerged from his lips next sounded almost broken.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." And he was thankful so very thankful for the chance to rest and have peace and to reunite with the spark of his other. The figure in front of him swam closer still but because of the burning white around him he was still unable to make it out completely.

"You have suffered enough little one. Very few would be able to go as long as you have with a broken bond." The words were kind and gentle.

"You seem so familiar. Everything about you does but I can't seem to remember who you are. I'm afraid that I've forgotten. Would you tell me your name?" He had to know. Had to ask no matter how embarrassing it was. The figure in front of him chuckled and came into full view. He could see every detail as if he were seeing them for the first time. Red and blue armor decorated in flames.

"You know who I am little one." A deep baritone rumbled. The name that was whispered passed Sam's lips filled his very being as a love so deep and true it could only be real spread through him.

"Optimus."

Authors Note's for 6

You know I don't really have much to say on this one though I think it could have been just a bit longer. Oh well. I'm not complaining. At least not about the story. I screwed myself over the other day. I made a comment to Optimus_Life about most of the people who do the Optimus/Sam stories being sick and that it sucked becuse no one had been well enough to update (either that or we were just in a story slump) and now I'm sick. Kinda. I have a cold but I think I'm over the worst of it. I spent more or less all day the other day in bed asleep. My puppy, Primus bless her, spent most of her day in my room keeping me company. I think she knew I was sick and wanted to make me feel better.


	7. Reason

Plot Bunny: "When you can live forever, what do you live for?"

"When you can live forever, what do you live for?" He knew what he lived for. It was cradled against one large metal arm sleeping at that very moment. He lived for Sam because without Sam there was no living. Oh, he'd survive if the boy were to die but it wouldn't be a true life. There would be no happiness or joy. No laughter or light. No love. There would be only survuvung, pain, and sorrow. The moment the boy died he'd stop truly living at all. Most thought him crazy bonding to an organic but they didn't understand. None of them did. How could they? They saw only what they wanted too see. The little imperfections and mistakes.

They saw only his weaknesses and failures. They didn't care to see his perfections or when he did something right. Nor did they see his strengths and victories. They couldn't look past his organic nature to what lay hidden deep down within. Oh most of his team had at least one human they liked and would even call a friend. Even fewer than most would willingly call another brother or sister. Then there were those who just plain surprised him.

Elita for one was one of the few that had surprised him. He'd thought that she'd like the humans and she had at first. Her compassionate nature had many of the military wives and mothers on her good side. She had been quite fond of them in return. Until she'd found out about him and Sam. Now she growled at any human that looked at her. It was jealousy he supposed and sadly there was nothing he could do about it. She'd get over it and move on eventually. He hoped.

On the other hand Sunstreaker had surprised him as well. He'd taken to the humans quite quickly. He even had a pair that trailed after him like little lost puppies. They weren't twins but the two girls were so close that at times it seemed they were. He supposed that it had something to do with the fact that they liked making mischief when things around the base got too quiet. They helped keep Red Alert from getting too bored he supposed.

But still there was so much about the human race that many of the mechs and femmies under his command didn't see. So much about Sam they didn't see. Optimus ran a finger down Sam's side being careful of the bone deep bruises that were hidden underneath the boys cloths. Sam would always be a boy in his processor despite the fact that he was in his early twenties.

Sam's body was covered in large black and blue spots from where Finback - a Decepticon pretender- had thrown him around the boat that he and his team had been guarding. The old Con had gotten him badly but luck had been with them and Chainclaw had gotten Finback back just as well. The mission itself had been a complete success despite the fact that Sam had been beaten black and blue by the pretender. Nothing was broken thankfully. He had done well for his first mission with an actual team. He'd been nervous about working with bots other than Catilla.

Blue optics watched the steady rise and fall of Sam's chest. He could watch Sam breath for hours and never get tired of observing the simple movement. Whatever Ratchet had given him to help dull the pain was working well. Then again as Sam often said "he'd been hurt worse". He didn't know how he'd ever existed without this little human by his side. He loved him so much and he'd never tire of telling Sam that. Just as Sam would never tire of telling him. Their time together as of late had been fairly short even now they were running on a clock. The next morning he'd leave to meat the newest arrival as they made landfall and by the time he'd be back the next day it was likely that Sam would be out on another mission despite his bruised body.

Sam often felt that he had something to prove to the other Autobots. While his reputation as a bounty hunter was well known to most of those who'd been here since he'd first started most had dubbed him incapable of leading a team despite the marks that were apparent on his skin. It was after all his ability to lead a team that made all the difference in how others saw him. So he had seen it fit to give Sam a new challenge.

Besides with the way things were heating up he wouldn't be able to hunt alone or with just Catilla much longer and it seemed almost appropriate to put him in charge of his own team of pretenders. At least that way he wouldn't have to tilt his head completely back in order to see who he was talking too. That had been the reason behind his easy first mission. To help him adjust to the sudden add ons to his team and to let him prove to himself and to others that he was capable of doing it. He'd never been prouder of his little human than he had the moment he'd seen the cargo ship pull up to the docks. Though that pride had turned to worry when Pincher had had to help him get off the boat. Even then he hadn't been able to stay worried for long either.

The joy and pride of his first successful mission as a team leader had been far too contagious for him to stay very worried. No one had been able to say a single thing that would have bought him down off of that triumphant high. Despite missions and meetings and time not spent together they were both happy and whole for the most part. No one could understand Sam better than him. Well almost no one but Sam's parents didn't really count because they'd had sixteen more years and raising the boy to go on.

The thought of Sam's parents made him cringe. He hoped to Primus that all of Sam's bruises were healed by the next time they came to visit or else he was going to get it. And despite what most of his troops thought there was nothing wrong with running away from a pissed off Judy Witwicky. The only other being he would wish that woman on was his brother and even Megatron didn't disserve her all the time. Unicron probably didn't disserve her on his worst day. Sam's mother had the ability to strike fear into the bravest of them with a glare and a baseball bat but she loved her some more than anything and only wanted to see him happy.

He wanted Sam happy too and it didn't matter what it took for him to get that way. The sight of Sam's smile was enough to send his spark fluttering and the sound of one happy laugh was enough to make him happy for days. Sam was everything to him. His complete reason for being. The reason he was online and kicking this very day was because of the human asleep on his arm. Perhaps the reason Sam tried so hard was to prove to the others, to those that doubted what was truly between them, that he had earned the right to be with him and he was only trying to get those who couldn't see that to notice.

It was an uphill battle for acceptance and both of them were fighting. At times it seemed as if it was a loosing battle but at the end of the day all that mattered was each other. One of the humans had bothered to ask.

"When you can live forever, what do you live for?" He had the answer. Had had it for years now. He lived for Sam. For the little human that tried so hard to prove to others that he had earned the love of a Prime. He lived for the days they could spend in peace, the battle that they could fight with the other near, and the future that they knew would come. He lived for Sam and the future that the boy promised with three simple words that were spoken a million times a day even though many of those times were silent.

"I love you."

Authors Note's for 7

Ya I have gotta stop doing musing chapters for every other chapter. Unless you guys like my musing chapters that is. I suppose that they are after all my own futile attempts to get into the minds of the Transformers charectors. But still I need to stop doing them because unless I'm loosing my mind I think this is like my third one. Well maybe I don't if this is just number three out of however many chapters I've managed to post by now. Ehh whatever. I gotta get back to work.

Bruses- The idea for Sam having bruses came from the bruse I got from tripping over my pants and falling down my last three steps of my staircase. You guys should see it I have a bruse about the size of my palm on the side of my leg and it's all a blue green color around the edges and purple in the middle. The good thing is though that it only hurts it I bump it against something.


	8. Doing

Plot Bunny: The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.

Doing

Sam fought the urge to smirk as he looked at the people around him. They who had dared to doubt his awesome negotiating skills. Okay so maybe he wasn't awesome but at the moment he sure as hell felt like it. He'd managed to do it. The Autobots were staying for the foreseeable future and he had been the one to talk the worlds governments into letting them stay. He kind of hoped that someone had recorded his conversation because it was all a blur in his head and he couldn't remember a damn thing.

"You did it." The warm words were whispered into his left ear. "All that worrying in September was for nothing." Sam smiled and leaned back into the embrace the arms that had snaked their way around his shoulders promised.

"I couldn't have done it without you there and I seriously doubt that I would have been able to do it in September what with my brain freaking out and me seeing symbols. I would have babbled the entire time and gotten you guys kicked off the planet." Optimus found he could only chuckle as he rested his chin on top of Sam's head.

"I think you needed to prove to yourself that you could do it before you could prove it to others. You did well after the first minute or two." Sam let out a breath one he'd been holding for a few seconds in an attempt to calm his still rattled nerves.

"I think that after the first minute or two I realized that nothing bad was going to happen if I just said what I thought and answered their questions with as much truth as passable."

"You make it sound like you lied to them Sam." If was Sam's turn to laugh as he tilted his head back in order to stair into bark blue eyes.

"I lied a little. Like when they asked if it was passable for a human and a Transformer to bond. I don't think they'd have taken yes very well." Optimus was quiet for a moment.

"No I don't think they would have. If you had told them the truth you'd have had to tell them about us and I don't think the worlds quite ready for that yet." Sam nodded in agreement before turning and looking back over to the celebrating humans and holoforms. Everyone was happy that their friends were getting to stay.

"Hey Sam!" Lennox called from his spot by Epps and Ironhide. The Major had a grin from ear to ear." How does it feel to have one upped every government in the whole wide world?" Sam laughed before offering his answer.

" The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do." Epps shot him a look.

"Where'd you hear that from?" He asked as his own smile threatened to break out in a grin to match Lennox's.

"No idea." Sam called back with a laugh.

"We're going out to celebrate. Do you wanna come with?" Lennox asked. Sam thought about the offer for a moment. Now that his nerves were beginning to settle and the rush from earlier was wearing down he felt kind of tired and head achy.

"No thanks Lennox." Sam politely declined his offer. "I think I'm just gonna go back to my room and sleep awhile." Lennox nodded in understanding. It was common knowledge amongst their group that Sam hadn't slept well the night before due to nerves.

"Optimus." Epps called out as the pair began to turn away in order to head back to his alt-mode. "Yes Epps."

"After he's through tak'n his nap call us and we'll tell you guys where we are so you can drag his sorry ass over. I'll be damned if he don't celebrate with us tonight." Optimus chucked as he looked at the mixture of soldiers that were making their way over to a group of ordinary looking vehicles.

"I suppose I can do that. We'll see you later." A chorus of good bye's rang from somewhere behind the pair as Optimus pushed Sam into the cad of the semi through the drivers side door. Sam buckled himself into the passenger seat and offered Optimus a somewhat sleepy smile. Optimus smiled in return before kissing Sam on the forehand and telling the boy to get some sleep on the way to their motel. The government had offered to put them up in a big fancy Hotel for there stay in Washington but they had refused the offer preferring to stay at a Days Inn about an hour away from the White House.

It was a better way to hide from rabid reporters and other people who wanted a story or picture. Needless to say no one had found them yet and the motel clerk had no clue who they even were. As a matter of fact they were the only ones even staying at the place as most others seemed to prefer places in the city so they wouldn't have to go as far to see all the landmarks and other tourist traps. Needless to say both Optimus and Sam liked it better this way.

Optimus' weight was warm as he strattled the boys back. Hands moving up and down the bare skin as the Prime attempted to loosen some of the tense muscles. Sam's whole body was tense and more often than not the best way to get rid of the problem was a massage. It worked better than the pain killers his doctor had prescribed and it also allowed a bit of bonding time.

"That feels good." Sam mumbled sounding half asleep.

"If I had thought about it I'd have given you a massage last night. You probably wouldn't be so tense if I had remembered."

"Doesn't really matter you'd have had to give me another one anyways. The muscles in my back tend to knot fast remember." Optimus nodded at that little bit of truth. The muscles in Sam's back did tend to knot fast and the longer they were left alone the harder they were to get rid of. The first time he had done this it had taken him nearly two hours to get all the knots worked out of the muscles. "True but it still wouldn't be as bad." Optimus stated as he continued working.

"Deep breath." Optimus ordered as he placed his hands at the base of Sam's spine. Sam knowing what was coming next took a deep breath and held it. "Okay let it go." Just as Sam exhaled Optimus moved his hands up Sam's back popping the bones nearly all the way up along with the boys shoulder. Sam's groan of relief was his response.

"Feel better little one?" Optimus asked as he unstrattled Sam's back and laid down next to him. Sam only rolled toward the Prime and nodded a smile on his face. It took him a moment to find his voice in order to answer.

"Yes, much better. Thank you." Optimus smiled as he looked at Sam.

"You are very welcome." There was an edge to Optimus' voice now. One that hadn't been there before. An edge that Sam knew all to well. He knew what tended to follow that edge all to well too. One brown eye cracked open to look at the holoform the lay not five inches away from him.

"You in the mood for once." There was a teasing tone to Sam's voice.

Their relationship unlike many others wasn't defined by sex. Hell, he could count how many times they'd had sex over the past year with one hand and half the fingers on the other missing. Sex wasn't all that important but Sam still had the desire for it every once in awhile. Lust for Optimus on the other hand was something that could only happen while his holoform was active and even then it didn't happen often. Something seemed to trigger the desire. Sam had no idea what but Optimus' general theory was that the desire came from their bond. Not that the bond was the cause but when they had bonded the program that controlled the creation and actions of the holoform had learned. The occasional lust Optimus seemed to feel was likely a desire born from the fact that humans relied on physical closeness and so every so often the desire to be physically close to his bonded popped up.

"What do you think?" Optimus purred as he pulled Sam closer too him. Sam couldn't help but grin. Optimus was quite amusing when he wanted sex. Sam yelped as Optimus rolled him over onto his back and managed to pin him underneath his body again. The only thing that was different this time was that he was facing up. Lips meet seconds later before the usual tussle of tongues began. Each one was desperate for a taste of the other. Moments later the kiss deepened and Optimus took the chance to wrap his arms around Sam's waist for support that would be needed by the time their kiss was finished.

They had a pattern. A way of doing things before they actually started. It was only when Sam needed to breath that the kiss stopped and Sam pulled back almost gasping for breath. It felt like his first one. There was no rush between them. They would go at their own pace and as always Optimus would lead. Sam trusted him with his very soul.

The world tiled as Optimus lowered both of them back down onto the bed. Kisses as soft as butterfly wings began tracing scars beginning with one that ran around Sam's right eye. Sam gasped as Optimus made his way down towards the boys neck.

"If you must give me another hickey then please leave it where my mom isn't likely to find it." Optimus found he had to stop and chuckle. They were quite open with their relationship at least with anyone who was in the know. Sam's mother on the other hand didn't seem to realize that talking about her son getting hackies from an much older man (with a smile on her face) with her friends wasn't a very good thing.

"I'll try to remember." Optimus said as he began tracing kisses down Sam's neck now. Each one causing his human to gasp in pleasure. Optimus often wondered if Sam knew what the taste of his skin did to him. Sam's skin didn't really taste all that sweet like he had first suspected but kind of sour instead with a sweet aftertaste. Every kiss he placed on the boys skin made him want another one. Sam groaned as Optimus began sucking on the juncture between his neck and shoulder.

He vaguely wondered how many marks the Prime would leave there while he worked his way down. Absent minded fingers traced over the scars that ran along Sam's chest. Each one was a painful reminder of a run in with Megatron. Blue eyes wondered over the body beneath him for a moment before he moved onto the next patch of skin and began sucking. Sam's groan was even louder.

Optimus, Sam had learned, was a terrible tease. Optimus chuckled as he listened to Sam groan. He was going to be nice for once and forgo his usual line of marks. Scooting down a little farther he began trailing kisses again following the same pattern as before. Tracing scars. Sam smiled as he reached out a hand to run through Optimus' hair. The black locks were silky smooth to the touch. Sam gasped in pleasure as halfway down him chest Optimus quit kissing and started running his tongue down his skin. He'd started sweating apparently, funny how he never tended to notice. Then again he never tended to notice much of anything except Optimus during times like this. And Optimus knew exactly what buttons to push and when.

Sam's breathing quickened as Optimus moved even further down his body. His hands straying to run along Sam's hips. Sam moaned the Prime's name as he bit down on one of Sam's sides.

"You're doing it again." Sam gasped as if out of breath. Blue eyes flicked up to look at him.

"Doing what?" Optimus asked.

"Teasing when you promised that you wouldn't." Optimus tilted his head up so he could look at Sam directly.

"Am I?" He asked as he ran a hand up the inside of Sam's leg. Sam's moan of pleasure interrupted whatever he had been about to say. Sam's head fell back on the pillow beneath his head as Optimus kept running his hands along the inside of his thigh's. His whole body was shaking and he knew he was ready. He knew Optimus was ready too.

The sound of snapping buttons might as well have been a heavenly chorus. Sam tilted his head up to look at the holoform as he felt his pants being tugged down. Optimus only spared him a glance as he went to work disposing of Sam's clothing. "Now little one we get to the fun."

Authors Note's for 8

Ya I'm mean. Get over it. I'm fairly happy with this piece of almost smut. I made a promise to myself that my first smut chapter would come along in Dog Collar. But Seeing how I've put that one on hold for this month I'm willing to make a compromise. If I can get my 50000 words and enough of you wnat me to continue this chapter then I'll turn it into a seperate one shot and post it as a stand alone. Meaning that those of you who want it may get their desired smut.


	9. Failed Mission

Plot Bunny: "I tried to save him... but he was scared and refused to leave the cell."

Failed Mission

Sam didn't know what to do or hell even what to say. He'd failed and he knew it. He knew it, his team know it and as soon as the mission report was finished and available for public viewing everyone else would know it. He didn't really care about what everyone else thought about him and only a few members of his team did but still. The only time he'd ever failed a mission before this was due to severe injury or lacking the proper knowledge. He had everything they needed this time and every spec of information had been right and yet they had failed. And it was his fault. He'd done something wrong he knew he had to of done something wrong. If they had done everything right then the mission would have been a success.

Sam couldn't believe he'd failed a fucking rescue mission! God, what would Optimus think. He didn't want to know. The despair that welled up deep inside him at the thought of the mech that they had been forced to leave behind made tears come to Sam's eyes. Optimus had given him and his team this mission himself. He'd put his trust in their skills and they had failed. He had failed and he knew that Optimus would want to hear the story from him first as soon as he found out. Sam wondered if he'd be able to tell Optimus about what had happened but he knew that he'd have to tell because even if he didn't he still had his own mission report to file after he was done with his bout of self pity.

Well the pity wasn't just for himself but also for the mech that he had been forced to leave behind. The mech that had been one of Optimus' oldest and dearest friends. And he had failed.

Failed.

Failed.

Failed.

Failed.

Failed. The word kept running circles in his head like an endless merry go round. It made him want to beat his head against the wall behind him. He wondered how long it would take Optimus to track him down after the mech got back to base.

Probably not long. The only good thing he could see about Optimus coming to find him would be the fact that he'd have to use his holoform in order to get into his room. He didn't want to have to be held or give himself whip lash when this story had to finally be told. He knew Optimus would understand but still despite all the missions he passed and all the good he had done his self esteem was terribly low. No matter how much phrase or how many complements were given to him that sad fact of his life had stayed the same.

He was doomed to have low self esteem for the rest of his life. Every muscle in Sam's body tensed as the sound of great footsteps echoed down the hallway. These were footsteps he knew by memory. They could only belong to Optimus. He'd gotten back and now he was on his way to check on him and get the mission details. For the first time since they had bonded Sam wished he wasn't there or better yet he was somewhere faraway. He wondered what Optimus was feeling at that very moment but he didn't have the courage to open up the bond and find out. Was he mad at the failure or disappointed. He could feel Optimus tug trying to get his attention and he ignored it for the time being.

Optimus was trying to coax his side of the bond open or at least get Sam to open his end of the bond and let him know what was going on... And Primus be damned if Sam let him. Not now not when he was still wallowing. He could feel Optimus' growing annoyance. His annoyance wasn't really aimed at Sam but more towards the fact that Sam was being stubborn and not letting him know something sooner rather than later. A knock on the door to his room made Sam jump. He hadn't expected Optimus to activate his holoform so soon.

"Sam open the door." Sam snorted and fought the sudden urge to stick out his tongue at the mech on the other side. Needless to say the urge won and Sam stuck his tongue out just as Optimus knocked again.

"Please, Sam." Sam sat silent. Though Optimus' next sentence made him laugh. "You're not in the closet again are you." Sam laughed and a smile crossed his face for the briefest of seconds before it faded. He'd hidden from Optimus in the closet once and locked both the door to his room and the closet. It had taken Optimus two hours of talking to get him to come out. Sam could hear Optimus sigh on the other side of the door.

"Will you at least say something?"

"You heard about the mission didn't you?" Sam's voice was a whisper but he knew that Optimus could hear it.

"Yes. I heard. Sam I'm not mad at you. So please open the door so we can talk face to face." Sam debated for a moment before realizing that even if he didn't open the door it wouldn't take long for Optimus to pick the lock. Reaching up toward the doorknob Sam twisted the lock and with a soft 'click' it popped open. Optimus stood in the doorway for a second before his eye's swept over the room looking for his bonded. Needless to say he found him in the place the Prime had least expected. Optimus' footsteps were silent as he moved to sit besides Sam. The poor human looked miserable.

"Sam look at me please." Optimus was sure to keep his voice soft when he spoke to his bonded. He knew that Sam felt terrible about the failed mission and he didn't want to give the boy the impression that he was mad even though he had said he wasn't. Sam turned puffy brown eyes on the Autobot leader.

"It wasn't your fault Sam. Tailgate has always been glitched in the processor. The war wasn't easy on him Sam. We had hoped that you'd be able to talk him into coming back to the base with you but it seems we were wrong. I should have sent someone familiar with him with you." Optimus said as he pulled the still teary eyed boy into his arms.

"I tried to save him... but he was scared and refused to leave the cell. I don't think it was a matter of trust Optimus. I could hear it in his voice when I talked to him. He wanted to come but the Cons had him so scared... but we just...we just ran out of time and..." Sam's sentence broke off as the boy started crying again. The force of his sobs racking both his and Optimus' bodies. Optimus simply buried his face into the brunettes hair and stoked the boys back in an attempt to calm him.

"I know Sam. Catilla and the others told me the whole story before I came down here. They're all worried about you." Sam nodded his head in understanding. Tears were still running river down his cheeks. His whole team tended to turn into mother hens when a mission went bad or he was down in the dumps or injured.

"Oh, little one." Optimus shifted his position so he could pull Sam onto his lap and wrap both arms around the boys shoulders as he continued to cry.

"I shouldn't have left him there Optimus. It wasn't right. He didn't disserve to be left behind like that." Optimus was quiet as he continued to listen to Sam. He knew how terrible it felt to leave behind a caught prisoner. He'd been forced to leave behind many and more often than not when they were able to return for them they were too late. The only thing he could do for Sam now was keep telling him that it wasn't his fault, let him cry, and hope that when this was all over things would be better.

oOoOoOo

Authors Note's for 9

Umm not sure what to say about this one. I like it and it got me at least a thousand words closer to my goal. For those of you who don't know Tailgate is an actual character and he is kinda glitched in the processor. He thinks all the stuff we have here on earth is alive and we've bound them into slavery.

Okay So I didn't make it to five thousand words by the end of november but I did good. I'll post my offical word count later. Sorry it took me so long to update.


	10. A Cure for Boredom

Plot Bunny: The worst punishment an immortal person can face is an eternity of boredom.

A Cure for Boredom

The worst punishment an immortal person can face is an eternity of boredom. No one ever seemed to consider how much the people stuck with that person would suffer as well. Not that they could really be all that mad at Sam but still. It was hard enough now to find something for the still healing humans and mechs to do while they were waiting to be put back on active duty. Sam was at the base all the time and he tended to get bored with one activity within a week or so of doing it. That didn't count the time that soldiers had made him a list of things to look up and learn about on the internet. That diversion had lasted for almost half a year until he'd gotten to some soldier suggesting that he learn about kinks. Needless to say they'd put a stop to that list all together rather than go through it and cross out anything related to sex.

Nothing had been the same after Sam had spent a day looking at entire websites dedicated to some of the most disturbing kinks thinkable. So after that it had gone back to them trying to find him something to do that would hold his interest for more that a week or two at a time. It wasn't all that bad it was just that they were trying to space things out a bit because if Sam was living forever -so far as anyone could tell- they didn't want him getting through every passable distraction in the first five hundred years of his life. They had considered teaching him about Cybertronian culture but that idea had been shot down as soon as he had reminded them about the information still floating around in his brain. So now nearly sixty years later as they watched his newest current distraction none of them felt the need to say a thing.

Why no one had ever given him the idea for this before was beyond him. It was fun and he was getting his exercise and he was even amusing everyone within visual and audio range. About the only one who didn't seem to be enjoying himself at the moment was Optimus.

"Sam would you please give me back my hat?" Sam eyed Optimus from his spot about fifteen feet above the holoforms head and grinned.

"Nope sorry Optimus." Optimus let out a frustrated sigh before trying again.

"You know that I can't deactivate my holoform without everything on my person right."

Sam nodded. "Of course I know that Optimus but I'm still not giving you back your hat." The game of "My Hat" -as one female soldier called it- had been going on for fifteen minutes and was about to get a lot worse.

"Why not?" Optimus called. He sounded like he was on the fast track to whining. Sam coughed to cover up a laugh and began walking along the railing he'd been sitting on moments before. Optimus following underneath him.

"Because it's quite amusing watching you get frustrated and if I stopped then I'd loose my entertainment for the moment." Sam said all this with a smile while keeping a firm grip on Optimus' cream colored Stetson. Optimus stopped and crossed his arms across his chest a frown clear on his face and blue eyes showing disapproval at Sam's current form of entertainment. Sam laughed as he watched his bonded from his perch above his head. He knew that it wouldn't be long before this game of cat and mouse really got started.

That was when the real fun would begin because unknown to Optimus Sam had at least three people standing in set positions around the base waiting for him to give them Optimus' hat. Optimus also didn't know that all of his troops and the human soldiers had agreed to not help the Prime in his retrieval of said hat. They were all for it if it helped keep Sam entertained and got Optimus to have a little fun.

Years ago the move that Sam pulled next would have had everyone in the hanger running to see if the boy was alright but after so many years of Sam being able to do it no one but new recruits and government agents flinched anymore. Doing a move that would have made a Gymnast proud Sam swung from the bar he was on and down to the ground below him taking off at a run just seconds after his feet hit the floor. Optimus was hot on his tail.

Sam wondered vaguely how long it would take Optimus to catch him, if the mech could catch him at all. Sam had spent most of his life running from both people and Transformers that had wished to do him bodily harm. While he was quite sure that Optimus wouldn't hurt him he had no illusion of making it out of this game completely uninjured either. He knew Optimus wouldn't hurt him on purpose but sometimes it was hard to avoid getting scrapes and bruise's when one was playing. Sam yelped and ran a bit faster when he felt Optimus' fingers brush against the back of his shirt.

"Sam!" Optimus shouted as he continued chasing after the boy in front of him. At the rate they were going he was going to be late for his meeting with the new Secretary of Defense. He knew that Sam knew that and it made the situation between them all the more annoying. He knew Sam got bored and was always seeking a new form of entertainment and this wouldn't have really bothered him any other day but for the love of Primus he was going to be late for a meeting and he was never late!

"Now is not the time for this Samuel I'm going to be late." How Optimus' voice was managing to stay so calm despite the annoyance that Sam could feel coming from the other end of their bond was beyond him. Millions of years worth of practice he supposed. Perhaps that was why he couldn't bring himself to feel to bad when he laughed and kept running.

"I know! It won't kill you to be late for once Optimus so just chill out!" His first hand off was coming up soon. Sam twisted as Optimus' fingers almost succeeded in grabbing the back of his shirt again.

Sliding a bit as he turned a sharp corner Sam's grin widened as he saw his first hand off. A fairly short woman with her black hair that had been shaved short. The woman smiled as Sam handed her Optimus' hat before she took off down another hallway.

Optimus stopped and looked back and forth between the two hallways. He didn't know whither he should be going after Sam or after the woman now carrying his hat. He knew that Sam would get it back eventually even if he had given it to another person. Shaking his head Optimus took off down the hallway that the woman had fled down. He had a better chance of catching her than he had of catching Sam and he knew it. Sam had almost eighty years worth of running practice and could out run every human on base at any time.

"Jennings!" Optimus called as he ran after the young woman.

"Sorry sir but I promised." Jennings called back as she ran.

"Promised who, what?" Optimus asked as his strides bought him closer to the woman with each step.

"I promised Sam that I wouldn't give you back your hat." Optimus growled. Was the whole base in on this game.

"You know that you can get in trouble for doing this don't you?"

"Oh I know that Sir but Sam promised me that it I got in trouble then he'd get me out of it. Needless to say Sir I believe him."

Optimus rolled his eyes. Of course Sam could get her out of trouble if she got into it. Sam could talk just about anyone into doing just about anything. A small smirk crossed Optimus' face when he realized that he was only a step or two behind the woman now. All he had to do was reach out and grab her. He was about to do just that when Sam veered into his vision and snatched his hat out of Jennings outstretched hand. The officer stopped running and turned to look at Optimus with a smile on her face. She was panting lightly.

"Sorry Sir." Optimus only grumbled in response grinding his teeth together before he took off down a different hall. One that was going a different way than Sam. Sam stopped and looked around when he realized that Optimus wasn't following him anymore.

"Where the hell did he go?" Sam asked himself. It was entirely possible that Optimus had just given up and was going to go to his meeting in his holoform but that didn't seem like him. Hat held in one hand and the other positioned under his chin in a thinking pattern that reeked of Weenie the Pooh Sam glanced around the hall he was in before he shrugged and began walking towards the exit that lead out to the beach. His next hand off was out there somewhere.

The light that struck his eyes when he exited the building was enough to leave him temporarily blinded. That was probably why he didn't see the had that snagged his shirt collar and pulled him back wards. Sam cried out in shock as Optimus pulled him back the holoforms arms wrapping around him as if to cage him in.

"May I have my hat back now?" Optimus asked as he looked down at the human held in his arms. He'd taken a short cut in order to get out onto the beach before Sam and much to his luck he'd made it outside just a few moments before the running human had.

"Sure." Sam said with a smile as he handed Optimus his hat back and placed a soft kiss on the holoforms cheek. "Now get to your meeting before you're late." Optimus found he could only grumble in response. Forever was going to be a really long time.

Authors Note's for 10

I want Optimus Prime's hat. That was the whole thing behind this chapter. My desire for that freaking hat and the fact that I can see Sam running around with it. And think about it if Sam's immortal then he's not the only one who's going to suffer. Especially when he doesn't have anything to do. You try to entertain someone who's probably going to out live you by a few gazillion years.


	11. A Lesson in Wickedness

Plot Bunny: People are capable of great wickedness.

A Lesson in Wickedness

"Not to far Audra." Sam called as he watched the dark haired five year old run ahead of him. Audra's pigtails bounced off her shoulders as she ran along jumping over the cracks in the sidewalk that lead to their home. Home now wasn't the far too crowded orphanage that she had known for far to long but a nice house that she shared with her daddy and his partner Optimus (called Orion when they went elsewhere).

Along with her Uncle Will and Ironhide and Will's six year old daughter Annabelle. Needless to say the child couldn't remember a time when she had been happier. Audra turned and started making her way back towards Sam who was walking at a much slower pace enjoying the cool night air. Snow boots thunking as she ran up to her guardian Audra threw her arms around Sam's waist causing the adult to laugh.

"I still don't see why you insisted on wearing your snow boots Audra Marie." Audra smiled. Sam only called her Audra Marie when she was being silly or in trouble. The reason this time was the later. She had insisted that she wear her snow boots for one reason and one reason only.

"But Sam the weather man said it was going to snow and I wanted to be prepared for if it did." Sam found he could only smile and shake his head.

"Audra the weather man said it might snow and even if it does I don't think it'll snow much let alone enough to get you and Anna out of school tomorrow." Audra seemed to consider what Sam had just said for a few moments before shrugging and skipping a few feet ahead again. She didn't care if they didn't get out of school or not she just wanted it to snow. A cool breeze swept the girls bangs into her eyes and tickled her bare skin.

They had walked to the small store about a block or so from where they lived. They had needed milk and Uncle Will had wanted a jug of Egg Nog. Audra wrinkled her nose at the thought of the some what sour drink. She didn't really like Egg Nog. The only thing she could ever taste when she drank it was banana pudding but uncle Will and Annabelle absolutely loved it. Sam smiled as he watched Audra skip ahead of him his mind drifting back to the first time he had ever laid eyes on the girl.

He'd known from the moment that he'd first seen her that she was the child he wanted and as soon as he'd pointed her out to Optimus the mech couldn't help but agree. She seemed like a near perfect mix of the two of them. Her long black hair was even curlier than Sam's and her bright blue eyes rivaled even the brightest of Autobot optic's. Even her personality seemed to be split in half. She had a great sense of right and wrong but also a curiosity that could put any cats to shame. She was sweet and adventurous but also timid and considerate. He didn't think that there could ever be a more perfect child than his and Optimus' adopted daughter.

Sam's body gave a small jerk as he bumped into something. Looking down he discovered that the something he had bumped into was Audra who had stopped walking as the neared the section of sidewalk that ran in front of the town's Library.

"Are you okay Audra?" Sam asked as he held out a hand to help the child up.

"Yes." Audra chimed as she took Sam's hand in her own.

"Why'd you stop?" As if fearing that someone might hear her answer Audra motioned for Sam to bend down so she could whisper in his ear.

"The Library looks scary when it's dark like this. Billy from my class says it's haunted at night." Sam chuckled a little before offering his own answer to his daughters fear.

"It just looks kinda scary because of the way the lights on either side of the door way cast shadows and because you can see a bit of the security light through the windows. When we get a good snow I'll have to bring you to see it at night. It's very pretty. And Billy tends to lie remember. He likes to try and scare you." Audra smiled a little at Sam's answer but still kept a firm grip on his hand as they walked in front of the building only daring to let go after they had passed. "See that wasn't so ba..."Sam's sentence was cut off mid-word as something pulled him backwards causing him to drop the bag in his hand. The jugs of Milk and Egg Nog burst as they hit the concrete their liquid contents going everywhere.

"Sam!" Audra cried in shock as she ran towards where her stunned guardian sat on the ground. "Are you okay?" Audra asked.

"Yes, Audra I'm okay." There was an edge to Sam's voice when he answered the child's question. Bending down to the child's level so he could look her directly in the face he placed both of his hands on her shoulders before speaking.

"Listen to me Audra. I want you to do exactly as I say all right." Audra stared up at Sam the beginnings of fear evident in her eyes. The child nodded and Sam continued. "I want you to run back to the house baby and no matter what you hear or who you may see I don't want you to stop running until you get inside okay."

"But Sam..."

"No buts Audra Marie. You do as I tell you or else you'll get in trouble. You hear me." Audra sniffed and nodded tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. Sam hated to do this but he had a bad feeling about what was going to happen and he didn't want the child with him to see it. His voice had taken on a slightly harsh tone that he knew both Audra and Anna associated with trouble. "Go now." Sam's voice was only slightly shaky as he pushed the little girl forward.

Audra gave him one last tear filled look before she took off running down the street disappearing around a corner seconds later. Sam new it would only take her three or four minutes tops to reach their house.

"What do you want from me?" Sam seemed to ask no one but the man that stepped out into the pale street light seconds later answered his question.

"Well you see boy we have a problem." The 'we' the man had referred to stepped into the light seconds later. There were five other men, all featureless in the pale light, that had managed to form a circle around him.

"What kind of problem?" Sam asked trying to keep his voice from shaking. He'd learned how to fight not long into collage but he knew that he couldn't take on six people by himself and win. A different man answered his question this time.

"You have to understand kid that we don't take to kindly to your type moving here."

"My type?" Sam asked as his eyes moved back and forth trying to keep up with the men that had him surrounded.

"Fags boy. We have a problem with you fags moving into our town." The circle around him closed by a step. Sam gulped.

"Look I don't want any trouble."

"Well neither do we boy that's why we let the little girl run before we came out of hiding. Though now that I think about it we probably should have made her stay." Sam's breaths were starting to come out in puffs.

"Why? She has nothing to do with this." Another man answered with a shrug.

"Well because son that way she'd learn that it's wrong to be a man fucking another man. That way she'd know it's a sin against god." Sam's whole body tensed. He was waiting for one of them to move. Unfortunately he didn't see the first blow that came but he sure as hell felt it. Something hard slammed against the back of Sam's head forcing him to the ground. Sam hit with a sift grunt.

He could feel blood weeping from the back of his head. If he wasn't mistaken he'd just been hit with a baseball bat. Rough hands pulled him up and held his arms behind his back. One of the men in front of him spat something he couldn't quite understand before he hit him in the gut. All the air felt like it had just been knocked out of his lungs. "I'd guess by the looks of those scars boy you didn't learn your lesson the first time." This was the man who had spoken to him first.

"These scars aren't from a beating by a bunch of closed minded idiots like you." Sam spat as he forced himself to look up at the attacker in front of him. He was beginning to feel a twinge in the back of his mind. The one that meant that Optimus was within range of their bond.

"Really now? If someone didn't get you before you faggot then where'd you get those." Sam was hit twice before he could answer. Once in the eye and another time in the lip. Spitting out the blood that was quickly filling his mouth Sam felt it only best to answer.

"I got them when I was helping save lives." The men in front of and around him seemed to think about his answer for a second.

"Maybe you should have saved a few more then." A sharp pain raced through Sam's head following a faint thunking sound. Sam's last fully aware task was his futile attempt to reach Optimus through their bond. He knew though that the Autobot wouldn't make it and much to his surprise he found it wasn't such a big deal. At least Audra had gotten away and wouldn't see as he was beaten half to death.

**oooooo**

Audra ran. She ran as fast as her little legs could carry her and then she tried to run even faster. Something was wrong. Sam had been scared when he'd told her to run home and nothing scared Sam. Not the monster in her closet or the creepy night time Library. Nothing. He was just that brave. So she had to wonder what had made him so scared. Was it something he couldn't fight off. Or even worse than that something Optimus couldn't fight off.

But that couldn't be right because nothing could beat Optimus when it came to him protecting his family, nothing. But still Sam had been scared and so she was scared now too. Tears made wet tracks down the girls cheeks and a loud shout from behind her made her jump. She didn't like being in the dark all alone like this but Sam had told her to run. She could see the lights in front of her house just a little ways down the road. She was almost there. Almost safe and soon she'd be able to be sure Sam was safe too.

oooooo

William Lennox laughed as he watched Annabelle run around the living room in a pair of pale yellow butterfly wings mimicking the cow in the cartoon she was watching. Apparently the butterflies in the cartoon thought that the flower covered cow was one of them. Turning his head back to the cookbook he was looking through Will found it hard not to watch his daughter. Ironhide stood leaning against the counter not far away watching the clock.

"They should be back by now Will." Will shook his head in slight amusement.

"Stop worrying so much Hide nothing bad is likely to happen to them. They're just going about a block and not even Sam's luck is that bad." Ironhide only snorted. Will know why Ironhide was worried and Sam wasn't the reason. Not only was Ironhide very protective of his daughter but of Audra as well. He hated it when the either of the girls were out of his sight.

He hated it even more when they were out without an Autobot to keep an eye on them. Needless to say that had made school very difficult until he'd found out that Catilla played guard in the form of a large Labrador Retriever that hung around the school all day. He calmed down a quite a bit after the pretender had revealed himself one day.

"They should still be back by now Lennox." Will sighed and turned to look at Ironhide. He loved the mach like a brother but right now he was getting on the mans nerves.

"Look Hide if it bothers you so much then cal..." The screeching of the screen door cut Will of as both he and Ironhide turned to look as Audra came running into the room tears running down her face. Sam was nowhere in sight. Man and mech shared a worried look before Will scooped Audra up into his arms.

"Audra what's wrong? Where's Sam?" Audra took a shaky breath before she began to explain what had happened to Will and Ironhide.

"I don't think whatever was there was good Uncle Will. It had Sam real scared and he's never scared. He was talk'n real quiet when he told me to run. I think some one might have been trying to listen." They understood what was going on far better than the five year old did. Will whipped tears from Audra's eyes as he set the girl down on the floor. Annabelle having been distracted from her fun by her crying friend came over to give the girl a hug.

"Look at me girls" Will said in a stern voice as both girls turned to look at him. Audra still sniffing. "I want both of you to stay here. Ironhide and I are going to go get Sam but while were gone I don't want either of you to leave this house and if someone knocks don't answer the door. If it's someone we know they'll have a key." Both little girls nodded in understanding before Annabelle pulled Audra over to the couch and the box of tissues that had been left their after most of the family had been suffering from allergies and had had runny noses.

"We'll be okay daddy." Annabelle said as she saw to her friend. They'd been left alone for short amounts of time before and nothing too bad had ever happened. At least nothing that couldn't be fixed with a kiss and a band-aid or a few paper towels. Both men nodded in reply before heading to the door and running up the street.

Ironhide knew that his bipedal robotic form wouldn't be of any use in this situation. Their long strides had them at the end of the street much faster than Audra's had taken her away. They could hear the sound of men laughing and shouting. The sight that greeted them wasn't completely what they had expected. For one they hadn't expected Sam to be on the ground but the presence of six men and the baseball bat explained that.

The fact that there were six men also explained why Sam hadn't just fought them and went on his merry way. Sam was a decent fighter in his own rights but anymore than three or four men and he'd be out of his league unless they were all weak and drunk but these men all had a strong look to them and judging by their actions every single one of them was sober. The words were out of his mouth before he could even stop them.

"Hey, just what the fuck do you think you're doing!?" Will's yell had every single one of the men assaulting Sam looking up and in their direction. Ironhide was already cracking his knuckles.

"What does it matter to you?" One of the men asked as he took a step closer to both Will and Ironhide. This man was obviously the ring leader.

"That's our friend you've beaten the shit out of." Ironhide growled as he too stepped forward. The leader of the group tilted his head to the side as if amused by Ironhide's statement.

"Oh, really. You a fag too?" This question was voiced by another man.

"It doesn't matter if I am or not. It's not goanna stop us from kicking every single one of your ass's." Will smirked as he followed Ironhide. Things were about to get really interesting. The leader of the group was the first to take a swing. Ironhide took him out in one hit before turning to the others. Will himself got to play with the man wielding the baseball bat. As it would turn out he wasn't a very good fighter. In the end Ironhide got to take down four of them while Will took out two.

Every single one of them ran like cowards after they'd been beaten a few of them stupid enough to swear revenge. Will knelt next to Sam's prone form looking the boy over before gently shaking a shoulder. Sam groaned in response and made an attempt to open his one good eye.

"You okay Sam?" Will asked as he helped the boy up.

"Do I fucking look okay Will?" Will blinked and looked the boy over again.

"Let me rephrase that. You need a hospital?"

"No."

"Well that's good." Ironhide said as he moved to Sam's other side. "Primus forbid we have to drag your sorry ass any further than the house." Sam snorted a bit at Ironhide's reply. He could hear the teasing tone and relief just below the surface and he knew Ironhide was relieved that he was more or less all right. He wasn't going to be running any races soon but he'd live. For now he had only one thing on his mind.

"Did Audra make it home?"

"Ya, Sam. Audra made it back to the house. You got the shit beat out of you but you managed to keep those creeps from following her back."

"That's good." Sam mumbled as Will and Ironhide hauled him down the street. He could feel Optimus' worry in the back of his head. Framing a sentence in his mind before sending it down the bond he was able to somewhat comfort his worried partner.

_'Don't worry it looks worse than it actually is. I'll just be sore for awhile_.'

oooooo

Optimus sighed as he stood in the doorway of his and Sam's bedroom. Sam lay asleep on the bed in front of him battered and bruised. His footsteps were silent as he walked across the soft blue carpet. The bed sank slightly as he sat down still watching Sam sleep. Sam had been right. He looked worse than he actually was. Though all Optimus could really see right now was a split lip and a swollen eye. They were going to press charges against the men that had done this to Sam. Ironhide would be able to point them all out.

Prowl would help take care of that though. All he had to focus on right now was his bonded and that was all he planned on focusing on. Well Sam and ...

"Optimus." A sleepy voice called out to him. Optimus turned and offered the little girl in a pale purple night gown, carrying a stuffed lion, a warm smile. Audra had been asleep when he'd gotten home half an hour before. The nights events having worn the five year old out. Audra made her way into the room moving as if she was afraid she'd wake Sam if she stepped to hard or in the wrong way. Optimus scooped the girl up as soon as she was within arms reach and gave her a hug.

"You should be in bed youngling."

Little blue eyes looked up into his own as the child worried her bottom lip.

"Will Sam be okay?" Optimus smiled and nodded.

"Yes he'll be okay. Though he might not be able to play for awhile." Audra nodded in understanding before asking her next question.

"Why did those men do this?" Optimus blinked caught off guard for once. He had to think a moment before answering the child in his arms. He wasn't going to lie to her but there were things he knew she wasn't old enough to understand.

"How did you know that men did this?"

"I herd Uncle Will and Ironhide talking." It was possible of course. Ironhide was easily herd when mad and more often than not one had to yell to get him to calm down.

"Those men did this because Sam and I love each other." He watched Audra chew her lip for a moment as if trying to understand what he had said. He could hear how confused she was when she asked her next question.

"But I love you and Sam so are they mad at me too."

"No. You have to understand that Sam and I love each other in a different way then we love you." Audra looked as if she was about to say something but Optimus shushed her and continued. "The love Sam and I have for one another is different because its how married couple love each other. It's like a love between mommies and daddies."

"So that means you love me like parents."

Optimus nodded. "Yes, Sam and I love you as if we were your real mother and father. The men who hurt Sam don't like the fact that we love each other like a mother and father love each other. They think it's wrong that we sleep in the same bed."

Audra looked at him for a second. "They're mad at you cause you sleep in a bed with each other like mommy's and daddies do?" She didn't completely understand. Optimus could tell by the sound of her voice but she understood a little.

"Yes." Now Optimus had a question for her because there was one more thing the child needed to learn. "Audra do you know why Sam told you to run?" Audra looked up at him thinking hard. She thought she knew why but she wasn't quite sure.

"Was it because Sam was scared?"

"Yes. It was because Sam was scared. Do you know why he was scared?"

"Cause of those men?" It took Optimus a moment to answer. He could tell that Audra was getting tired again and he wondered if he should continue or put her back to bed. He chose the first option.

"No. Sam wasn't scared of the men Audra. Sam was scared for you. Those men could have hurt you and Sam didn't want that to happen so he had you run while he stayed behind." Optimus regretted his words when realization and tears began to form in Audra's blue eyes.

"He got hurt cause of me."

"No. Those men would have hurt him with or without you there. Audra I know this is hard for you to understand but sometimes in order to protect someone you love you have to get hurt. This is a lesson we had hoped you'd learn later but it would seem that it didn't happen that way." Audra sniffed and tucked her head under Optimus' chin. "Optimus?"

"Yes."

"Next time those men show up I want to be brave. I want to stay and fight." Optimus chuckled. The child in his arms was half asleep and he doubted she had thought that last sentence through all the way completely.

"I'm sure that you'll do just fine."

People are capable of great wickedness. It's a fact of life that must always be learned at one point or another. Sometimes it is learned early on in life and sometimes it isn't. The only thing that matters is being able to see it and rise above it. To do good and be kind and strong and brave. The bravery of a child was a fickle thing. Easily swayed like the branches of a tree but once the courage takes root one can be sure that that child will grow up to be all that and more.

Authors Note's for 11

You know I'm actually kinda surprised I've never read a fic like this one before. The whole Sam getting beaten cause he gay thing. I hope you don't mind my creation of Audra but well I wanted to give then a kid and the name was random. I think there may be a story in there somewhere but I'm not goanna go bunny hunting right now. Oh and just to warn you guys Audra is very likely to make a reappearance soon. Like next few one shots soon.


	12. Sleep

Plot Bunny: "Sleeping is the realm where nightmares come to life. Where our mistakes haunt us and our failures stay and taunt us. Within every dream lies a million dark shadows waiting to swallow you and your screams are unheard."

Sleep

Things were bad. Had been bad for days now and only seemed to be getting worse. They were running out of time. Sam was running out of time and they were out of idea's.

"Isn't there anything you can think of Ratchet? Anything that can help him?" Blue optic's turned to look at the crouched form of the Autobot leader.

"We've tried just about everything and the things that are left to do aren't worth doing. In Sam's current state of health they'd kill him faster than they'd help him." Ratchet stated as his gaze shifted from Optimus down to Sam's still form.

Beads of sweat trickled down the boys face and the eyes hidden underneath eyelids flicked back and forth as if he were watching something. He'd been like this for nearly four days now and everyone was just about to the breaking point. Four days was a long time to be trapped in a nightmare and they knew it was a nightmare.

No one screamed the way he had unless whatever he was seeing was bad. They did know though that the dreams weren't normal. Normal dreams didn't leave symbols burned into skin. Symbols that had no way of getting there because no one had been able to touch him for days except Ratchet.

Ancient Cybertronian burned in black and white. Black on his left side and white on the right. It meant something they all knew it did but for the life of them none of them knew what. The only thing worse than the symbols had been Sam's screams. There where times when it had sounded like he'd been trying to say something but they hadn't been able to understand what it was he was trying to say. The words were jumbled as if they kept getting mixed up before they made their way out of his mouth. Not that it mattered anymore.

Sam's voice was completely gone. Now all that was left was an unnatural type of stillness. If it weren't for the heart monitor and the clear fact that he was breathing they'd have thought he'd died. Whatever was going on wasn't good. The bond wasn't working either. Optimus could reach out but nothing ever made it through to Sam and nothing came through to Optimus either. Not even by accident. Sam had been asleep like this for four days.

At first they had simply thought that his exhaustion had caught up with the boy and his brain was forcing him to sleep. They'd been wrong and they hadn't even known it until hours later when Lennox had gone to see if he could rouse the boy so he could get something to eat. The scene the soldier had walked in on hadn't been what he'd expected to see at all. Sam had actually thrashed so much he'd fallen of the bed. Blood had been running down both arms from scratch's. He'd been clawing at the symbols or so they had to assume and Ratchet hated assuming.

Lennox had tried for almost fifteen minutes to get Sam to wake up and nothing had helped. Not even dumping the boy in a cold bath had managed to shock his body enough to wake him. Whatever had a hold of him didn't want to let go. To make things even weirder not worse just weirder the Matrix was acting strange as well. When at the base the Matrix was kept in a vault much like the fragment of the Allspark had been kept in. It had always twisted and turned in it's casing and sometimes it had seemed to pulse like it had a heartbeat of it's own.

Now the twisting and turning was almost frantic. If they didn't know any better they'd have thought it was scared of something but that was absurd. Wasn't it? Optimus had a theory about the Matrix's seemingly state of chaos. When asked he'd simply mention Sam's own state of being. The theory was that the Matrix held something of Sam within it and whatever was happening to Sam was either affected by or affecting the Matrix.

Very few understood that Sam had a spark much like a Transformers. Even fewer understood that it wasn't housed in the boys body but in the Matrix. And only five new of Sam's true status amongst the Autobot army. That he was in fact a human Prime. Perhaps that had something to do with his current state of being. They would never know for sure and they could only hope that the boy would wake up soon. They feared what would happen if he didn't.

oOo oOo oOo

He was running. Then again he was always running. Now was no exception to that rule but what he was running from was unsure. He couldn't see anything except the ground a few feet in front of him. He vaguely wondered if he was asleep but if he was then why hadn't someone woken him up. He felt like he was trapped in a nightmare. Every thing seemed to be going wrong. He'd watched them all die again and again. Over and over in a never ending cycle.

The only time they didn't die was when the black around him burned a white so bright that nothing could be seen or heard. Even then there was no peace. He'd watch as his failures were laid out in front of his eyes and shown to him. He knew that there were times he'd screwed up and screwed up very badly. But then there were the voices. Only voices and they didn't belong to the past Primes either. He could never understand these voices.

One was light as air and so very kind while the other dark was dark as silk and well there was something about the voice that shook him to his very core. These beings that whispered in his ears were old and powerful. These voices were opposites and yet they seemed to form a complete whole. Perhaps they were something of a ying and yang. One light and one dark but together they formed a whole. Or perhaps like Optimus and Megatron they were brothers. Only one thing ever appeared in his vision and those were symbols. Familiar and yet unknown. Bright blue in the burning white and blood red in the deep darkness.

He had something that they both needed and one wanted to take it while another wanted it to be given. They needed something. But what? He had what they needed but still. Just knowing that didn't help him find out what it was they wanted from him. The black Sam was running in shifted to grey before it turned white once more and he found himself watching past failures. That voice was back as well and this time he could make out what the voice was saying.

"Let go of your past failures young spark. For soon they shall come and you hold part of what they are. Beware of Unicron and watch for Primus." Primus and Unicron? The names sounded familiar but he couldn't place them. It was almost like trying to remember the name of a story books hero or villain. A book that had been read to him long ago by his mother or father. There was something about the names however that filled him with both a profound sense of peace and dread. He knew that one promised something good and another something bad. Understanding bloomed in his brain for a few seconds. He was a warning. The only warning that the Autobots would get before this new stage in the war happened. He had a job to do and he'd do the best he could to get it done. The white around him dimmed for a moment before it burst in front of his eyes and symbols ,both red and blue, filled the space in front of him.

Sam gasped as his eyes shot open taking deep breaths as if it was his first time breathing. Both Ratchet and Optimus started moving at the same time but before they could do much of anything both stopped. Something had caught their attention and the attention of every other being in the room. The humans and Transformers in the room were amazed all of then staring at Sam's eyes. For one eye was a deep red and the other a bright blue.

Authors Note's for 12

No clue where the hell this one came from but oh well it serves it purpose and well that's actually about it I think. I actually have half a theory that Sam will end up having something to do with Primus or something. You don't play around with powerful alien things and not have anything happen to you. I am also a firm believer that Sam may be a Prime in his own right. Not that Optimus would let him fight or anything.


	13. Hope

Plot Bunny: Without hope, one is only half alive.

Hope

Without hope, one is only half alive. What did that make him then. He sure as hell didn't have any hope but he didn't have anything else either. With out Optimus there was no living. Not that the Autobot leader was dead or anything like that. So far as Sam knew he was alive it was just him that was missing. The people who worked in the government hadn't liked how close he'd been to the Autobots. How loyal he'd been. So they had taken him and now he didn't know where he was. He didn't even know if Optimus and the others were looking for him. He liked to think that they were. That they still hoped even though he didn't anymore.

He'd been hopeful at first but now all he wanted was for everything to end and it was going too. Sam blinked bleary eyed as he watched the ribbon of red run down his wrists. It was stupid he supposed. To be doing this when he knew that there were easier ways. Pills for instance. He had a lot of pills half of them with names he couldn't pronounce. Some were for pain and others were for some mental illness that people in white lab coats thought he had. Maybe they were right. But this in a way was their fault. They had taken him away from Optimus.

From a love so deep and pure that those who didn't know of it seemed damned. He hadn't lived until he'd loved Optimus. Nothing had truly mattered before that even though it had seemed too. But now there was nothing. Just a life not worth living anymore and a way or two to get rid of it. He'd left no note stating his reason for doing this. If they didn't know why already then they didn't disserve to know. But still he had hoped at first and for the past month or maybe it had been a year, he couldn't tell anymore, he had lived a half life.

Now that half life was running red onto the bathroom floor. It was actually very pretty now that he thought about it. How the red stained the white floor with a slowly growing ribbon of color. He missed color or well certain colors. The men that had taken him had stripped his world of any color that could remind him of the Autobots. So needless to say his world had become very dull. No color, no computer, no cell phone, and most defiantly nothing electronic that had even the remote possibility of being used to make contact.

They wanted him as separated as separated could be. Hell he didn't even have a TV. but he did have a razor. That single razor was all he had needed to make things in his less than life, life all better. Now all he had to do was wait for that slow decent into the sweet arms of death and then the pain he'd suffered since they'd been separated would be gone. Oh, he had suffered. There was a reason why newly bonded were never far apart for very long.

The people who had taken him did know that though. They didn't know that prolonged separation between bonded caused both to suffer a great deal of pain. It was so much worse when the bond was new and weak. Theirs had barley been a week old and every day the pain had increased. Not even the highest caliber pain pills had been able to take the hurt away. Nothing had not even in sleep had he been able to escape though his dreams bought on a different type of suffering. Death and failure. He dreamed of his bonded falling in battle any and every battle those of past truths and possible futures or random imaginings.

Every dream Optimus would fight and fall. Optics fading to black and just after that he'd be taken never to see the light of day again. The only time he'd see any others in his dreams was when they too were killed by the devils hand or by the hand of his demons. Sam blinked as a warm feeling entered his mind. There was something familiar about it but the memory had been cut from his mind by time, pain, and medication. It felt almost like something was reaching for him. Whatever it was wanted him to hold on to wait a little longer before he let death take him. He made no promises. Besides why fight what was already happening.

A strange type of satisfaction filled him when he realized he couldn't pick up his head anymore. His mind began to wonder as his breathing slowed. How come none of the white coats knew that he was dyeing. Then the answer came to him. He'd known it all along. They didn't give a rats ass about him. They only cared about the big fat checks they were getting for doing as they were told. They'd probably use his suicide against the Autobots and for a second he felt bad for doing that to them but that thought to was swept away.

Sam blinked and his eyes wandered around the bathroom. He couldn't tell if things had gotten blurry or not. How could he when everything in the room was white. Well almost everything. His blood was still red or at least he hoped it was because he didn't have the strength to look down and see. Sam blinked again one last time before he let his eyes drift shut. He was ready for everything to end. But there was still that feeling in the back of his mind that had been getting stronger even though the rest of him was getting weaker. He still couldn't remember what it was.

Sam wondered what would happen if he attempted to touch that feeling. Would it go away or would it get stronger? Was it even there at all? Dredging up what little energy he had left Sam reached for the feeling in the back of his mind. Had he been able to he would have gasped but the only sound he was able to hear was a eerily quiet breath of air. He did know this feeling and it had a name and a face. More than one face depending on the situation.

He'd known this being before he'd been taken. It was a being that he loved more than anything else in the world. The being who's absence had pushed him to taking a blade to his wrists. The name that made it's way past his lips in a barley there whisper was one he'd spoken a million times before.

"Optimus." For the briefest of second the tiniest spark of hope was ignited and this time it stayed.

oOo

He was running out of time. Out of hope for finding Sam alive or finding Sam at all. He knew better than to doubt the feeling in his spark that screamed his spark mate was near but he still had his doubts. Sam had been taken from him and had been hidden far too well for far too long. He'd been a fool to assume that Sam would be okay with him gone. It was only for a day or two, three at the most. Sam would be fine until then.

The week old bond had been strong enough and the presence of other Transformers would help lesson the slight pain that Sam would feel from his absence. He'd gotten back and Sam had been gone. At first he had thought Decepticon but it wasn't long before it became apparent that Sam's kidnapping had happened by human hands. The search that had followed had been frantic. His kind knew well what tended to happen when a new bond was stressed too much too soon. He knew the separation would be harder on Sam then it would be on him.

Not that he hadn't suffered. He'd spent many a lonely night with his spark calling out to its other only to have no reply come. He worked himself far to hard and more often than not Ratchet had been forced to put him into a much needed recharge. But now he dared to hope as that feeling grew stronger with every passing moment. As he got closer to his other.

He knew that Sam wouldn't be in good shape but the gentle tide of wavering emotions that he was getting through the bond worried him. That was far to little even if Sam was sleeping. He highly doubted that the boy was because the emotions were getting weaker by the second. He didn't even look at the building he was in front of as he stopped and his holoform avatar activated. He was at the door in seconds running at top speed and then forcing himself to go faster. If he was too late he'd never forgive himself. Optimus ignored the elevator completely preferring to take the stairs.

He didn't have time to wait every second that tide seemed to be a little further away. He vaguely wondered why he hadn't ran into any people yet but he really couldn't bring himself to care. Reaching the desired floor Optimus ran through the door knocking down a woman as she passed. He apologized without even stopping and the woman as if sensing his urgency didn't say a thing. Blue eyes flicked from door to door in a frantic search. He could practically see through them thanks to the bond. Anything Sam had touched often would give off a type of energy and that energy could be picked up by his avatars eyes. There. He'd found the room.

The handle twisted when he tried to open the door but that was all. The door was locked. Optimus had forced it open within seconds. The smell that assaulted his nose as soon as he stepped in would have made him gag had he been human and the sight that greeted his eyes when he finally found Sam would have bought tears to his eyes. Blood. So much blood that it couldn't be healthy.

"Sam!" Optimus called the boys name as he hit the floor next to Sam's still form. Hands already moving to the closest piece of fabric he could find.

Optimus was careful as he wrapped one of the white hand towels around the first slit wrist. He needed to find something to hold it closed so he could take care of the other wrist. Eyes darted around the room only to land on the belt to Sam's pants moments later. That would work. Optimus swallowed hard as he worked on securing the belt around the cloth before he moved to Sam's other wrist. Sam had been desperate enough to try and kill himself. Even thinking about Sam like that while the boy lay bleeding next to him felt wrong.

This bleeding child wasn't the Sam he knew. The Sam he knew would never fall to this level. But the Sam he knew would have never given up hope either.

"Open your eyes Sam. Please Sam." Optimus' voice was pleading as he pulled off his own belt to help secure the second cloth. Much to his surprise Sam's eyes opened for the briefest of seconds before closing again. Something that sounded like a last breath whispered past his lips and following that a single name.

"Optimus." Looking at the boy he now held in his arms Optimus dared to hope.

Authors Note's for 13

Weee. Suicide or at least attempted. Is it a bad thing that this chapter actually kinda made me happy. I like torturing my favorite characters. Ya I'm mean that way. Just look at all the weird crap that I think of with these plot bunnies. I could probably turn a totally non violent bunny into something like this. But this bunny just seemed to scream at me. Kill him or at least attempt to and I did and so far as you guys know he did live. Now back to my random idea's. Oh the separation idea was not given birth to by me. I just adopted it. The idea's from this really good fanfic that I can't remember the name of where Sam and Bee are together and the government separates them and Sam slits his wrists or maybe he overdoses and kills himself and Bee and them arrive to late to save him. Only in mine he might just live. The key word is might.


	14. Waking Up

Plot Bunny: Woke up dead.

Waking Up

He'd been dead. He knew that he had been but where ever he was now wasn't the place he had died in. His last memory was of a city not Cybertronian but human. There had been a fight for the AllSpark and a human whose name wouldn't quite come to him. He'd told the human... Sam! The humans name had been Sam. He'd told Sam to put the cube into his chest and that was it. After that there was nothing so he had to assume that Sam had listened and done his job. But if that were true then why was he online again? Maybe he wasn't and this was the Matrix. But then why was he surrounded by pale darkness and not a bright light?

The sound of soft footsteps caught Optimus Primes attention from where he lay on a cold metal floor. Something was off. Where ever he was he wasn't alone. Whither that was good or bad was yet to be seen. Should he dare open his optics and let whoever was in the room with him know that he was indeed online. What if it was an enemy? He didn't think he do to well in a fight especially in his current condition. But if it was a friend then what? Should he let them know? If it was a friend then they'd understand why he hadn't revealed his current status sooner. For now he'd lie still and silent and listen to the small creature that was making the footsteps.

They could only belong to something small or at least smaller than him. They were far to quiet to belong to anything very big. Now he found himself wondering if the little being moving around him was robotic or organic. Either one was quite possible. Something was working its way toward the wires near his spark chamber Optimus realized a moment later. At least now he could tell that the small being was robotic. Little fingers worked their way past thick armor to the wires underneath. Tugging gently at each one as if checking to be sure none of them were in danger of coming loose. Apparently they all passed the test for before long the little hand had moved on to the wires that he could reach in the mechs hands. This little thing had to be a friend or at least a being with good intentions. He wasn't in any danger from this little thing. That was a comforting thought as he slipped into a quiet recharge.

Optimus awoke joors later not bothering to keep his optics closed this time. Every sensor he possessed was telling him that he was completely alone. There was nothing in the room with him. Bright blue optics took in the room around him only to realize that the room was filled with others off his kind. All of the off line. Cables and gears strained as Optimus pushed himself up off of the floor the wall next to him supplying some much needed support. Looking himself up and down Optimus realized that he was in much better shape than he should have been. The little bot that had been fixing him did good work apparently. There were a few places that looked like something had tried to take a bite out of him but still all in all he could have been much worse. He had been much worse. The sound of those soft footsteps rang loud in his audios and caused the Prime to turn his head in the direction that the noise was coming from. He didn't think that there was a reason to keep his current online status to himself anymore and if the little bot had been the one to fix him then it already knew of his current state of being.

Needless to say the little thing that entered his sights not long after the footsteps filled his audios wasn't quite what he had envisioned the little bot to be. He was small yes that was to be expected but it was the condition of the small creature that seemed to surprise him the most. This poor little thing didn't even have any armor to cover the silver skeleton that was his body. Even then if he looked like something had tried to take a bite out of him then something had chewed this little bot up and spit him back out again. He could easily see the scars that covered the little bots frame and there were several places where wires were visible.

The only things that stood out about this little creature were its white optics and a thin chain that hung around its neck. There was something dangling on the end of the chain but he couldn't tell what it was but there was a faint energy being radiated by the object. Optimus wondered if he should make the first move or not. It didn't seem like the little bot was going to do anything other than stare at him. So Optimus decided that he'd keep his greeting simple and wait to see what the little mech said back.

"My name is Optimus Prime. Whats yours?" The little mech simply looked at him optics shuttering every few seconds as if he were confused. Did he not understand? Or was it possible that he simply wasn't able to answer? Either way Optimus waited a few more seconds before asking another question.

"Can you speak?" The little mech tilted his head to the side as if he had a question he wanted to ask but couldn't. Optimus hadn't been expecting the reply he received.

"English." The mech's voice was very quiet. He seemed to speak in a whisper as if he was afraid that some one would hear him.

"You speak English?" Optimus asked. It would make sense as for why his questions hadn't been answered before. He'd been speaking in Cybertronian before.

"Speak English? Yes." The little bots words were slightly broken as if he kept forgetting what he wanted to say and then would only remember half.

"What's your name?" Optimus tried again now that he knew he'd be understood. The little mech tilted his head to the side again before answering.

"Don't know. Had... name once but... gone now."

"You can't remember your name." The little mech shook his head in sorrow.

"We'll have to think of one for you then. "Where are we?" White optics stared into his for a few moments before the little mech turned and began to run in the direction that it had come from. Optimus hesitated for a moment before he began to follow the small mech. It didn't take him very long to catch up. Having really long legs had its advantages at times.

It took three or four breems for them to navigate through the interior of whatever form of building they seemed to be in. The sight that greeted Optimus' optics when they made it outside wasn't very spark lifting. Wasteland. The landscape in front of them was nothing but rock and dirt. There was no plant life or water or any other kind of life at all. Turning around to see what he had just come out of Optimus was quite shocked to realize that it was a grounded Decepticon ship. The size of the vessel suggested that it had been a warship. Turning to look at his companion Optimus knew that he was going to have to ask about what had happened. Both to the ship and to the little mech.

"Little one?" the little mech looked up at Optimus. "Can you tell me what happened to the ship? Or how we came to be here?" The little mech nodded before it sat down.

"Long time ago. Don't remember much but can tell what I remember."

"Anything you can tell me will work."

"Was different once. Different creature not metal but something else. Warriors came to my home looking for something and great battle was fought." The little mech stopped for a moment fingers running over the object that hung around its neck on the end of the chain. "Was caught in the middle and did something bad. Should have done different but didn't. Everyone paid. Many with lives. Was taken as pet and they thought they could change me. Worked in way. Messed with memory. Why I speak this way too. All broken in head so spoken broken. Never gave me armor. Didn't need it was pet not warrior."

Optimus listened to broken sentences in fascination and disbelief. He had an idea about what this little mech's name was but some part of him didn't want to think about how possible it was that that had happened. That his brother had actually kept Sam as a pet. The little mech, no Sam, was staring at him. He knew that Optimus wasn't paying any attention to what he was saying at the moment. Blue optics shuttered before they returned their focus onto Sam's small form.

"Go on."

"Other came and they fought. I hid both for fear and shame. They wouldn't take as was. To damaged. Doubt they would know who I was. Hid in room full of dead and found you and the shard. Could feel the power. Thought maybe if done right could bring you back. Took long time but worked. Ship crashed here and others fled. Didn't care if alive or not. Only wanted away from others." Sam stopped speaking and looked down at his hands waiting for Optimus' answer. Optimus was in a mild state of shock.

Though most of it had to do with Sam's broken story and the fact that the Decepticons had had a fragment of the All Spark and not known it. He knew there was more too Sam's story but he wasn't going to push too hard. Not yet at least seeing how there was a chance that most of the boys memories had vanished over the years or during the process of having been turned into a mech.

"Thank you for telling me what you could little one." Sam nodded clearly happy with himself. He was quite easy to make happy it seemed but there was still one pressing matter that needed to be handled. He couldn't go around calling Sam little one for the rest of their lives. "I think I know your name." White optics shuttered.

"Know name? Old or new?"

"Your old name. I remember what you were like when I first met you and I remember your name very well."

"What name?" Sam asked.

"Your name is Sam."

"Sam." The little bot muttered as if trying the name out for himself to see if it fit. Optimus waited a second for more of a reply. "Sam works. Name is name. Not matter what called so long as not pet."

Optimus chuckled. "I wouldn't want to be called a pet either. I doubt there are many that would." Sam looked down at his arms for a moment.

"Need armor. Not warrior but still need armor." Optimus nodded.

"Yes you do. It's not safe for all the wires and gears to be exposed to the elements like that. Unfortunately I'm not the type of mech or femmie that knows how to forge armor. We'll have to see if we can find our friends."

That idea didn't seem to sit well with Sam who pulled away as if he'd just been stung. Shaking his head back and forth the whole time. It was quite obvious that he had no desire to go and find the others.

"Do you not want to find our friends Sam?" Optimus asked his tone gentle. Sam shook his head again. "Why not?"

"Shame. Treated different. Coward." He didn't want to face Bumblebee and the others if they were still online. He didn't want to see the pity filled looks that would be sent his way or hear the whispered comments about how he'd become what he was know. That and this form shamed him. Compared to their kind he was nothing but a little freak. He didn't even have any armor and even if he did he knew it wouldn't be the same as theirs. It wouldn't seem as grand. His last reason was simple. He was a coward. He didn't want to find the other Autobots because with them came the Decepticons and Megatron. He didn't want others to know of why he had been changed the way he had and he never wanted to see Megatron again so long as he could help it. He'd rather stay on the dead planet they were on know than face any others.

Optimus looked down at the bare little form in front of him. Sam was worried and apparently ashamed of what others would think of him and of what he was when he had no reason to be.

"Don't worry little one. No one has to know who you are other than me and a few others. I won't tell anyone who doesn't have to know. As for shame, well that's something that will have to be taken care of in time and as for being a coward." Optimus chuckled. "I don't think you know how brave you are or were. You've shone nothing but courage when in my presence and that's all that matters."

Sam nodded in silent understanding. He didn't want to leave and Optimus wasn't willing to leave him behind or abandon his troops it wasn't in the Prime's programming. He'd have to go or he'd be left on this dead planet all by himself. Sam nodded in grim understanding.

"I can't leave them or you behind Sam. Everything will be all right you'll see."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Optimus would have smiled if he could have. There was a trust between them. A trust that Sam would do what was right and he would do what was needed. It was frail as most new things are but it was still there and it would grow as the years went by and their newly formed bond grew stronger many things would come to light about them both. Many victories would be won and many battles would be lost but never would their trust in one another fade or break.

Authors Note's for 14

I probably could have made that one a whole lot longer and a whole lot more detailed but between the headache that I have building and a puppy that wants to play I could really care less at the moment.


	15. Good with Kids

Plot Bunny: He was surprisingly good with kids.

Good with Kids

He was surprisingly good with kids. Not that anyone thought he wouldn't be. Well there had been a few people. But still he was doing well for someone who had spent most of his life raising warriors and not children. Optimus seemed to be getting along well with Annabelle. That was something that both he and Sam were thankful for. Optimus had been worried that he'd have trouble with children. He hadn't known if he was the type of person that would be good or bad with children personality not withstanding.

But looking at the smile that ran across Annabelle's face he appeared to be doing very well indeed. True they weren't playing or anything but that was something that would more than likely come later. You couldn't really blame him for not really knowing how to play when he himself hadn't been young for millions of years.

"So are you guys going to do it?" Sam turned to look at Lennox a small smile on his face. Lennox had his own grin as he watched Annabelle interact with Optimus' holoform.

"Ya, I think we are but we'll have to get a room ready before hand. Nothing grand just something that'll work until we can go shopping for cloths and such."

"That poor kid's goanna be stuck in a painfully plain room for a day or two." Sam glanced at Lennox and both men burst out laughing.

"I think that if I can swing it we'll go shopping the day after and let the kid pick out paint and the bed spread and stuff." Lennox nodded.

"That could work pretty well. I had actually been thinking about doing that with Anna before my mother found that bed set for her." Sam nodded absent mindedly.

His eyes were glued to Optimus and Annabelle. He could feel Optimus' amusement and the love he had for the five year old. Most of the soldiers loved Annabelle like she was family. It was a variation of little sister, granddaughter, and niece depending on the soldier. He knew that Optimus wanted a child almost as badly as he did. Whither or not the mech's desire was his own or a shadow of Sam's was unknown. And Optimus wasn't telling. Sam didn't really care just as long as Optimus agreed of his own free will. Sam knew how badly he wanted a child. There was a hole somewhere in his being and it was one that Optimus couldn't fill and it was growing bigger with every passing day. He'd realized what that hole was while watching Lennox and Epps with their kids one day and had gone to Optimus not long after. It hadn't been hard to get Optimus to agree.

Hell he hadn't had to argue at all. He simply told the mech that he'd figured out what the missing thing had been and Optimus had been all for it. So perhaps the mech did want a child as much as he did. It wasn't like they had a way to make sparklings anymore. So a human child was apparently the next best thing. Perhaps the desire to have a child to raise and teach and love was a universal want amongst all beings that were able to have them. He surly hoped so. He didn't like to think that the only species out there that were capable of love were humans and transformers. And if they were than the rest of the universe was an extremely sad place.

"What are you thinking about?" Sam jumped as he looked up and found Optimus standing right in front of him.

"I'm thinking about the poor kid that we're going to adopt and embarrass the hell out of when they get older." It'd be his luck he'd end up just like his parents in that department. He really hoped he wasn't. Optimus smiled and shook his head. He'd worry about that when the child was older and not a moment sooner. He had more realistic worries.

Like if it would be fair to bring a child into their war. But it couldn't be helped. Besides any child under their care was probably safer than any other. Then there was the fact that he wanted this for all the same reasons Sam did. He'd been feeling a similar hole when Sam had figured out what that missing thing was in their lives and know they were going to try and make a child's life better. With some luck and a little bit of help they'd be able too or they could at least try.

"You know I think that orphanage in the next town over is doing their adoption day thing tomorrow." Lennox said as he watched his daughter play. Annabelle waved when she looked in their direction and all three waved back at her before the child continued with her game. "Besides Anna would love having another kid around the house. It'd give her someone to play with that was more her age." Sam shot Lennox a look from where he was standing.

"You make it sound like we're all terribly old or something."

"Well we're not but..." Lennox let his sentence drop as he looked over at Optimus' avatar and both he and Sam started laughing again. Optimus simply rolled his eyes. He was used to the humans and a few mechs cracking jokes about his age. Though Ironhide had it far worse than he did seeing how he was the oldest of the Earthbound Autobots.

"You act as if age is everything." Sam raised an eyebrow as he looked at his bonded.

"We're human Optimus. Age is everything when you only live about a hundred or so years. Besides age makes all the difference in how grown up a person is." Sam said as he turned back to watch Annabelle. "Sometimes." He added as an afterthought. He knew of quite a few people who were older than him and far less responsible.

"Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional." Lennox stated as he ran a hand under his nose.

"So true."

Optimus snorted. He couldn't really say anything about the humans obsession with age because in their lives it did make all the difference. There was however one thing he could comment on. "You seem to be assuming Major that we're adopting a child. What happens if we adopt a teenager."

Human and avatar looked each other up and down before Lennox grinned a cheeky grin and answered.

"Because Sam's just barley twenty and I doubt that you really want to have to deal with another teenager so soon."

"Hey!" Sam shouted slightly offended. It didn't help that Optimus seemed to agree with what Lennox was saying. "You guys act like I was the worst teenager in the history of teenagers."

"After all the times we had to hunt your ass down I can't think of anyone that'd be worse." Optimus chuckled in amusement. He felt no desire to stop the teasing his bonded was being subjected too at the moment.

"I can think of someone worse than me."

"Really? Who?" Sam grinned. "Leo."

"Ya."

"True." All three of them shared a laugh this time as both Sam and Optimus considered the future ahead of them.

Authors Note's for 15

I actually considered making this like a rough draft intro chapter for Audra but decided against it. And seriously how many of you would prefer having Leo around to having Sam around. Leo's annoying.


	16. Tragic Hero

Plot Bunny: "Show me a hero, and I'll show you a tragedy."

Tragic Hero

He wasn't quite sure what to think as he watched the group of people celebrate a victory on the floor below the catwalk he was currently standing on. They were strangers to this world and to this time. It had taken him awhile to get used to the idea that the past Primes had actually pulled these people out of the future from another pathway. Their world had been on its deathbed and they had been ready to die while his world had been alive but in serious danger. So the Primes had given them a chance by giving the refuges from the future a second chance.

These people were the most amazing things he'd ever seen. To think that a small part of the human race had actually evolved in a way that put them on the same level as the transformers. Though they were still technically organic there were times he wondered if they were more technorganic than organic. Humans now couldn't do the things that these beings could do. Then again fifty thousand years made all the difference.

His eyes shifted from face to face (all young) until they rested on the scarred face of their team leader. Sitting there looking like he was an old man trapped in a twenty year olds body was Sam. Not their Sam, their Sam had been killed in a battle, but the Sam that had lived for fifty thousand years and earned himself a title amongst all of the transformers. Autobot and Decepticon alike. A title he was remaking for himself here in their time.

"It's rude to stare you know." Had Lennox been any less of a man he probably would have screamed at the voice that was coming from behind him. While he hadn't screamed he had reached for his handgun. Not that it would have done much good. Sighing and sucking in a few deep breaths Lennox turned to look at the slender female form standing behind him.

"It's rude to sneak up on people too you know?" Hana shrugged before walking over to the railing and looking down at her comrades.

"I didn't mean to startle you but it looked like you could use some company." Lennox stared at the girl for a moment before resuming his earlier position. Hana was the teams medic/mechanic and she did both jobs very well.

"It's funny looking at him and knowing that he's not our Sam." Hana's eyes shifted to look down at Sam from her place.

"I suppose that it is strange but I wouldn't really know. It's you guys meeting our Sam not the other way around. Though I don't think I would have minded meeting your Sam at all. I'd imagine that he was very different than ours."

Lennox nodded. "As different as night and day. The Sam I knew ... well he was a little odd really but he was a good person. He hit the nerdy boy next door thing on the head but I think had he been given the chance he could have turned into a good leader." Hana nodded in understanding.

"From what I've read and been told about what our Sam was like that once before he became what he is now. It's not that he's a bad person or anything. It's just that fifty thousand years of tragedies tends to change a person." Both were silent for a moment Lennox wondering if Hana was finished speaking and Hana waiting for Lennox to reply.

"I think that the Sam we know and that you've only herd of are still there somewhere because if they weren't then he'd be a total bastard or he'd be working with the Decepticons." Hana blinked a few times before she began laughing. The sound was a mixture of amusement and surprise. Lennox couldn't help it when he started to chuckle a little. Hana's moods were more often than not quite infectious. Taking a few deep breaths to replace those that she had lost Hana started shaking her head.

"I don't think Sam could ever work with Decepticons. They've done too much to him over the years and taken away to many loved ones." Hana's smile disappeared at the thought of all the friends that had been killed by the metallic demons over her few thousand years of life. They had all lost too much fighting against the Decepticons to ever join them unless it was of dire need and even then most of them would rather die a painful death than work with their enemy's. Some wounds were too deep to be ignored.

"Is it true, " Lennox asked as he turned his full attention to the girl standing next to him, "that Sam and Optimus were bonded in your time?"

Hana's voice when she next spoke was filled with sorrow. "Yes, it's true. No matter how much we wish at times that it wasn't it's true. You have to understand Lennox that there was always something special about Sam and Optimus. The only thing that would have put a pause in their relationship was Mikaela but she was cut out of the picture not long after Egypt." Lennox arched a brow.

"What happened?"

Hana sighed before continuing her explanation. "Mikaela cheated plain and simple. She started going out with some guy while Sam was away at school and she got caught by Sam's friend Miles. Miles called Sam and told him about it. From that point on they were more or less broken up even though he wasn't able to call Mikaela and make it official. Not that he didn't try of course but he couldn't tell her anything if she never answered her phone. Not long after that him and Optimus formed a relationship."

"I bet that didn't make a lot of people happy."

"It didn't but they couldn't stop them even if they wanted too and after the bond between them became an official spark bond no one dared to try. No one was that stupid though they did send him to see a shrink once. Not that that helped much either. I think that's part of the reason that Sam's so distant with you is because of the broken bond. He tries not to get to close to people. Sometimes it works but..."

"Most of the time it doesn't." Lennox finished Hana's sentence for her. Hana found that she could only nod. Broken bonds were nothing to joke about. Lennox had learned that lesson when one of Optimus' mech had shown up carrying the off lined body of his bonded. Needless to say the mech hadn't lasted very long.

There were things about the Autobots that he wanted to know about in order to understand them better and then there were the things he'd thought he'd wanted to know about only to learn that he really didn't after he'd learned anyways. Needless to say he'd become fairly iffy on what he'd let the Autobots tell him.

"Is it passable for him to find someone else?" Lennox wasn't sure if he wanted the answer to this question or not. Hana appeared to be thinking it over.

"I'm not really sure. With the transformers species once you bond you never bond again but Sam's not a transformer so it may be possible. Why are you planning something?" Pale eyes shifted over to Lennox as if daring him to say that he was.

"No. I was just thinking about our Optimus here and if it might be possible for Sam to bond with him. You know different time and pathway but he'd still the same mech." Hana blinked as if shocked.

"You know I never actually thought about that but even if he could I don't think he'd do it."

"Why not?" Hana snorted before she pulled herself up onto the rail. "There's a reason that the Decepticons knew him as Death Bringer and the Autobots knew him as Tragedy's Sire you know." Lennox blinked. He'd never herd about Sam being called those names before. "I know that most of you guys see him as a hero but there's a saying I think you need to be aware of before you go trying to play matchmaker or something."

"Oh, really and what would that be?" Lennox asked as he crossed his arms.

"Show me a hero, and I'll show you a tragedy." as her saying ended Hana jumped down to the floor below with a small wave at Lennox. She barley made a sound as she landed and rejoined her comrades. Lennox watched the group below him for a few more seconds before he turned and began to walk down the catwalk.

Maybe what he was about to do would end in death and tragedy but he was still going to try. It didn't seem fair that Sam be alone and suffering while everyone else was happy and if he could he was going to make sure Sam was happy too. All he really needed to do was get a few people and Autobots to help push his plan along. He wondered if Optimus would be annoyed that he was meddling not only in Sam's love life but the Prime's as well.

Authors Note's for 16

Eh. I was killing another rouge story bunny with this chapter. For those of you who want a better explanation or just didn't get it. The Sam Lennox is watching came from another time where things went a different way than their going in this timeline. Sam and Hana and the rest of the unnamed team are from the future and were sent to help Optimus and the others in the past. The Sam from the timeline Lennox is from died in some battle after Egypt. Ya that all I got well I have more but I'm not turning this chapter into a multi chaptered story at least not yet.


	17. Screaming

Plot Bunny: "I feel as if I'm in a room screaming and no one even looks up."

Screaming

Sam had been nervous before. Hell he'd probably been every type of nervous possible. Well not every type because this one was most defiantly new. It felt like something was trying to eat it's way out of his stomach and that was just the beginning. He'd already pucked up everything he'd eaten for the past week and he was past the shakes but damn he'd moved on to the point that he felt like he either wanted to pass out or scream and it was quite possible that he would do either one at any moment. He wondered if anyone would even notice that he'd screamed if he actually did. He'd told his parents that he hated these fancy get together things that they insisted he attend even though he was eighteen and in college and perfectly capable of making his own decisions. But his parents couldn't pass up the chance to show off their Princeton material son and so he was stuck here being sneered and gawked at by a bunch of powerful people he either didn't know or knew too well.

Maybe they were hoping that he'd find a girl here or something. Not likely. Whatever desire to flirt had dies as soon as he'd seen Mikaela walking around on the arm of her newest man. Hell he still didn't understand why she'd dumped him and some part of him felt that he really didn't want to know. He was probably better off not knowing. He wished for a moment that Mikaela was with him. She help calm his nerves. That was probably why he was so bad off now because he didn't have someone to distract him from the monster that was eating away at his insides.

He just wanted to leave but he knew that he wouldn't make it to the door before one of his parents would descend upon him and drag him back into the party. He didn't even know the guy throwing this get together. All he really knew about the dude was that he was a ruthless business man or as most people referred to him as an ass. the guy who was throwing this party was said to be down right cruel not just to the people he made deals with but also to his employee's. Sam suddenly found that he was quite glad he didn't work for this dude. Sam slumped down into his seat as Mikaela walked by in a stunning red evening gown.

Brown eyes darted around the room trying to locate some one that he knew and actually liked. His eyes landed on a boy he knew from class but he couldn't remember his name. Which actually didn't surprise him all that much seeing how most people called him by his nickname Bumblebee. He was nice enough Sam supposed. From what he could remember Bumblebee was a really quiet guy. He'd barley spoken at all in class. Sam was half tempted to try and start a conversation with the blond boy until he noticed that he was talking to a few people. One man had black hair and couldn't have been more than five years older than him. The other two were much older one with black hair peppered with grey and another with reddish brown locks.

He didn't know these three people at all and well Sam being Sam didn't even want to risk them telling him to get lost. So sighing as he stood from his seat Sam made his way almost completely unnoticed toward one of the large balconies for some fresh air. Only a pair of blue eyes tracked his progress. The sound of music and talking faded as Sam walked away from the party. No one else was outside. Then again they all had more sense than he did he supposed. The November night air was cold and the softly blowing wind just added to the chill in the air.

Sam shivered and wrapped his arms around his front. He'd probably get sick because of this but he couldn't bring himself to care. At least he was away from the party and all the people and noise. He'd be able to hear himself think at least and that was always a pulse in his book. He'd go back inside when his teeth were chattering loud enough to obstruct his thinking and even then he might just stay outside a little longer. Maybe he would get sick and then he's be able to avoid the next party or two his parents planned on dragging him to.

Knowing his luck they'd make him go anyways. Sam was so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn't even realized that he wasn't alone anymore. "Do you mind if I join you?" A quiet voice asked causing Sam to jump a little before he turned to see who it was. It took him a moment to realize that it was the man he'd seen talking to Bumblebee before he'd come outside for some fresh air and quiet. Sam looked the man in front of him up and down for a moment before nodding. He was handsome Sam would admit that. He was tall with lightly tanned skin, black hair and bright blue eyes. His cloths were obviously of the higher price but he didn't seem to care.

"Enjoying the party?" The stranger asked as he stood beside Sam.

"Not really. The only reason I'm here is because my parents forced me to come so they could show me off. If I can ask why are you here Mr...." Sam's sentence trailed off into an unfinished end. He still didn't know this man's name. The man in question chuckled before answering.

"Call me Optimus. Everyone does. Might I enquire about who I'm speaking to?"

"Names Sam." Sam replied while holding out his hand for the other man to shake. Optimus took it with a smile on his face and a firm grip.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Sam and as for why I'm here. Well I'm here to show brotherly support I suppose." Sam arched a brow at that.

"So the dude who's throwing this party is your brother?"

"Unfortunately." Sam laughed before he could stop himself but it didn't seem to bother Optimus at all. In fact Optimus was chuckling.

"You have something against him?" Optimus shook his head.

"Only the fact that I don't like the way he runs things but that I can't change so I grin a bare it." Sam nodded in understanding. He didn't have a brother or anything but he'd gotten good a putting up with his parents over the years.

"I suppose your differences make Christmas a strained affair." Optimus laughed out loud this time.

"You have no idea. Why do your parents make you come to these things if you don't like them?"

"Like I said earlier they like to show me off. I got into Princeton so that makes me show off able I guess. I think their main reason for tonight was to try and get me a new girlfriend or something. My mom thinks these things are good for that."

"What do you think about that?" Optimus asked. "Truthfully I could care less about getting a new girl. My folks don't seem to get that I play for both teams."

"So your looking for a guy now?" Sam eyed Optimus for a second trying to figure out his answer. Optimus didn't seem like the type to care about sexuality.

"I'm thinking about it. Why are you offering?" Sam asked in a slight joking tone. Optimus smirked before answering. Needless to say it wasn't what Sam had been expecting.

"I just might be if your willing." Sam sighed. Optimus seemed like a nice guy and all but he wasn't quite sure yet. "Give me a few more minutes to think about it?"

"Of course. There's no rush."

Sam nodded his thanks before turning to look out over the gardens that stretched out behind the large estate. His mind was still going over everything that had happened so far that night. It was then that he realized that the nervous feeling he'd still been fighting against when Optimus had approached him was gone. The only person that had ever been able to make that go away before had been Mikaela.

"Have you ever seen to movie Titanic?" The odd question made Optimus blink in slight surprise.

"Yes. I've watched it a few times actually."

"Do you remember the scene where Rose tells Jack that she feels like she's in a room screaming and no one even looks up?"

"Yes." Sam sighed and turned to look at Optimus. Brown eyes meeting blue.

"I spend almost all my time at these stupid parties feeling that way. That was one of the things I loved about Mikaela. She made that feeling go away and the funny thing is that I feel that way with you too." Optimus chuckled.

"So is that a yes then?" He asked a small smile on his face. Sam smiled in return before answering.

"Ya, that's a yes. I don't think my parents will like it but I really don't care. The smile that split Optimus' face was breath taking. He said nothing however as he took Sam's hand and led him back towards the party.

Authors Note's for 17

About the only way I could figure this chapter out was to do them all as humans. Ya get over it you'll live. I just couldn't wrap my head around a scene for this chapter that involved mechs. Sam folks in this are rich and Mikaela has a thing for being a rich guy trophy. Well except for with Sam cause we all know Sam's not like that. The other two people talking to Optimus and Bee if you couldn't guess it were Ratchet and Ironhide.


	18. Arguments about Soldiers

Plot Bunny: "Who died and made you king of Candy Mountain?"

Arguments about Soldiers

They didn't argue often. Being as close to one another as they were it was just something that never really happened and if they did argue it was little things that they couldn't seem to agree upon. They didn't even argue just so they could have make up sex. Not that they had sex all that much either. Hell they'd been together for nearly four years and he could still count all the times they'd had sex on one hand so long as you added a finger. More often than not though as of late their arguments revolved around one thing. Audra and what Audra was or wasn't aloud to do. Sure Sam could understand Optimus not wanting her to do something's like learning how to ride a four wheeler, even though he had promised that he'd teach her when she turned ten. But some of the things Optimus was against were just damn stupid.

Like not wanting her to join girl scouts with Annabelle because of the slim chance that their troop leader would take pictures of them naked. Sam had laughed until he was red in the face and couldn't breath over that one. He had come to the conclusion then that Optimus spent too much time on the internet researching the things that Audra wanted to do. Then again some of the other Autobots were just as bad. Ironhide having the space on his list right underneath Optimus.

Ironhide at least understood that there were very unlikely chances for things like the troop leader being a pervert who wanted to see their children naked. Though Ironhide was still paranoid to a fault. Sam had learned though that with a lot of patience and his apparently kick ass powers of persuasion that given time all of the Autobots would eventually give in and let them do what they wanted so long as it wasn't too dangerous. He still didn't know though how Will had talked Ironhide into letting him bungee jump.

Sam understands that they worry. He's heard the fragile human lecture from Ratchet at lest seventy-three times already and he knows that there are a few more people that have herd it even more than he has. Will apparently is up to a hundred and fifty-nine and Epps is up to a hundred and ninety-four. Then again with Sideswipe assigned as his partner that doesn't really surprise him all that much. Both of them are thrill seekers.

But right now all Sam can do is shake his head as he watches Audra pout while looking up at Optimus' holoform. Sam can tell that she's close to tears and if it becomes necessary to he'll intervene but until he needs to he's merely watching this spectacle.

"Please Optimus. Pretty please with sugar on top." Sam almost snorts as Audra's pout begins to turn into a full on puppy dog look but the look in Optimus' eyes tells Sam that this is something he's going to stay firm on.

"I've already told you no Audra Marie and I mean no." Optimus' voice is firm and by the tone there will be no further arguments allowed. The seven year old let out a loud sniff as tears began to fall and she turned to look at Sam hoping that he'd be on her side.

"Please Sam." Sam gave the child a warm smile but before he could answer Optimus cut him off.

"Sam doesn't have a say in this Audra. I said no and I mean no." It took two and a half seconds for the tears to turn into a loud bawling as the little girl ran out of the kitchen and into her room. Sam winced as he heard the door slam behind the child. He turned to his bonded with a glare.

"Who died and made you king of Candy Mountain?" Sam said his voice a early calm. Optimus eyed Sam for a second waiting for the man to elaborate on what was wrong.

"Why the hell won't you let her take Martial Arts lessons Optimus?" Optimus stared at Sam for a moment before answering.

"She is not a warrior Sam. She's too young for something like that." Sam snorted.

"Too young. It's self defense Optimus your never too young to learn self defense. Hell had my parents let me take lessons I wouldn't have spent nine years of my school life getting beaten up every other day." Optimus sighed. He knew that Sam didn't quite understand his reasoning.

"If we teach her to fight then what's going to stop her from joining our war? I have raised to many soldiers Sam and she won't be one." Sam slammed a fist against the counter he'd been leaning on earlier.

"That's bullshit Optimus. You can't decide Audra's future for her. If she wants to be a soldier when she gets older then she be a soldier and even if she is there's no guarantee that she'll in up in our war or that the war will still be going when she turns eighteen."

"What happens if she decides to enlist and she joins NEST Sam? Are you willing to risk her life?" Sam sighed and took a step closer toward his bonded. There was something else buried in the avatars words.

"Optimus you didn't force me to do anything. I chose this path of my own free will. After everything that had happened in Egypt I knew that if I ran away then when Megatron found me again he'd still kill me. I did what I had to do. You had very little influence in my choice."

"I didn't want you to become a soldier Sam. I tried my hardest to prevent it but it was something that I couldn't stop." Optimus' voice was almost a whisper as he spoke to his bonded. Sam could hear the truth and regret in Optimus' words.

"You didn't force me Optimus and I probably would have been put to use somewhere else regarding you guys anyways. Optimus we have to let Audra make her own decisions. A lot of them we won't like but their still hers. She'll figure out what she wants to be when the time comes and if she happens to want to be a soldier then we'll give her every advantage we can." Sam smiled as he wrapped his arms around Optimus' neck and kissed him on the cheek. "Starting with Martial Arts lessons. Lord knows she'll need them because Anna's joining the same class and if they're goanna insist on practicing on one another I want it to be a far fight. Now go tell her that she can take the classes."

Optimus sighed in defeat, not that he'd put up much of a fight. Sam was right of course about everything but it was still hard to think that he might be helping to raise another soldier. But if that was what Audra wanted then all they could do was be sure that she was prepared for what was to come. Optimus stopped for a moment when he herd the screen door screech open and Will's voice filled the hallway. He was talking to Sam.

"So I take it you won." He could hear Sam chuckle.

"Not so much won as made a few things very clear. There are times I think they forget that we have will's of our own and if we want to do it then more often than not we will do it."

"So Audra gets to take classes."

"Yup."

"I'm actually kinda glad Hide suggested it. You're never to young to learn to defend yourself."

Optimus felt like slapping himself in the forehead. Of course it was Ironhide who'd put the idea into their heads. He should have known that from the start. The next time he saw Ironhide the old mech was going to get an audio full. He'd be sure of that.

Authors Note's for 18

For some reason I can imagine a child taking classes in self defense bothering Optimus. You know the whole turning children into warriors thing. So I figure that in this his view is that if Audra gets taught how to defend herself she might start thinking about joining the army. Optimus doesn't want that to happen do to the chance of her getting drafted into NEST and the thought of her fighting Decepticons disturbs him. Please note that the mental image I have for the both of us is a seven year old against like Starscream or something.


	19. Beauty

Plot Bunny: By certain twisted Decepticon standards, the humans could be considered quite beautiful.

Beauty

He had never noticed before but there was something about the human bonded to his brother that was quite beautiful. Humans were still an ugly species as far as they went but there was something about the human as he roamed the battle field with his team of pretenders that was beautiful. This human was a god among insects. A god of the battlefield carving a path soaked in energon and more often than not Megatron wondered what it would be like to have that little warrior on his side. Oh he knew that he'd never get the human away from his brother and even if he did the human wouldn't submit but still Megatron found that he wanted that human.

He'd never seen anything more spectacular than that pale skin soaked icy blue or the way the humans one good eye burned with a fire so strongly that you could forge weapons with it. If it were possible he knew they would be weapons the like of which none of his kind had ever seen before. But more often than not it was the Witwicky's nature on the battlefield that often captivated the Decepticon lord. His men didn't see that primal instinct the same way he did.

They didn't see the way he moved when he was fighting for his life or for the life of a fallen comrade. No they saw nothing but an organic that had made it to their battlefield. He had seen it in a few other humans. This primal instinct in the black and white soldiers that were often with Ironhide and Sideswipe had it as well but not to the extent that the Witwicky boy had it. At first he had expected his brother to tame the beast that the boy was becoming on the battlefield. He'd expected to see the boy following orders and going where he was told to go.

That day never came. Perhaps his fool of a brother knew that if they tamed the beast the boy was on the battlefield then they'd loose the war for sure. He had no doubt about that. Witwicky had turned the tide of the war single handedly. It didn't help that none of his hunters seemed to be able to catch the boy. Barricade had been the first to hunt the boy. Not even that old hunter had been able to survive the energon arrow that had been shot into his processor.

Many more had fallen most of them being taken down in a single shot. Rumor had it that the boy never missed and that he no longer felt pain. At least not from claws or plasma blasts. He'd seen Starscream hit the boy with a blast one day and had watched amazed as he got back up as if he had merely fallen. And claws well claws left scars but the injuries themselves never seemed to bother the human. No not human. Megatron didn't know quite what the boy was anymore but he knew that he wasn't human at least not completely.

Sadly they had very few facts on the Witwicky boy. The most they had was the basic's name, weapon, alliance, and a growing list of Decepticons that he had taken down. His brother was smart. He had the boy doing little missions that they wouldn't notice. Missions with the feline pretender and when more had arrived the other pretenders that were on the Autobots side. They hadn't known who was killing off his mechs at such a high rate for almost three years. It had been Barricades off lining that had given them the information that they had needed.

Imagine his shock when the last image recorded by the old hunters optics was of the Witwicky boy standing over him in armor, with a bow and arrow in hand. He hadn't wanted to believe it at first but eventually he had learned. The Witwicky boy had shoot him in a battle one day when he'd been about to destroy one of the Autobots. Needless to say he'd fallen in love with the fierce little creature when he'd first laid his optics on the boys armored body.

He was truly a god of battle. There was never any hesitation in his movements and he never seemed to doubt his shot. He never missed and that was a fact. His orders had went out a click later. He wanted the Witwicky boy and he wanted him alive.

He often found himself looking for that little form on the battlefield. Sometimes he hoped the boy would have reason to challenge him. Megatron wanted to know who would win. Him or the human. He'd watched once as the boy killed one of his soldiers. There had been none of the usual Autobot mercy. Witwicky had shot him in every vital place his arrows could get to and then he had stood there watching the downed Con leak energon.

Only after the mech had gone silent due to his weakening systems did the boy finish him off. He had seen it in the boys good eye while he'd watched the Con off line. Witwicky wanted to shed energon and lots of it. There was a hatred there a deep dark hatred and it only made him all the more beautiful to the Decepticon leader. He often wondered if his brother knew of his bonded's darker tendencies. It seemed more likely that he didn't.

Chances were that Optimus only knew about how truly Decepticon like his bonded was when they were fighting together. He brother wouldn't like the truth once it reared its ugly head. He wished he could be there to see the Primes reaction. It would be priceless. Then again there was always the slimmest chance that Optimus did know of the boys true nature deep down. He would never know. What he needed was to get more information on the boy either by spy or interrogation. Perhaps he'd try to catch the boy the next time they crossed in battle.

He couldn't wait because it didn't matter that the others couldn't see the savage beauty in the Witwicky boy, his brothers bonded. But he did and he hoped to see even more of that nature with every battle he fought. Humans were an ugly species by the standards of his own but still he'd fallen hard for one. Scared and ruthless on the battlefield and nearly imposable to catch. He wanted the Witwicky boy. He wanted the human that his men had named the Death Bringer before anyone had known that the warrior was a human.

Before Megatron had known that the boy was truly beautiful. A god amongst a world full of insects. A god of war and death. Who was under the control of his brother. A pawn for good when he fit into evil so much better. Such a beautiful creature.

Authors Note's for 19

Not really focused on both Optimus and Sam but eh. I had an idea about Megatron being able to see a type of beauty in the human races survival instincts and that just kind evolved. Now I can picture Meg's sitting in his room plotting ways to kidnap his brothers bonded because he wants him. Typical little brother wanting what he can't have because it belongs to the elder. I'd imagine that if you managed to piss Optimus off enough that he'd be able to give Megatron a run for his money in the scary as hell department.


	20. What He Loves About Him

Plot Bunny: No Plot bunny for this one.

What He Loves About Him

He could never be sure about what it was that had attracted him to the little human that was his bonded. Even after being together for so long their were still so many different things about his bonded that he loved that it made it hard to choose between them. Maybe he loved everything about the boy so much that it was impossible for him to decide. He wasn't quite sure. Then again when it came to Sam more often than not he wasn't sure of anything.

Maybe it was his skin. Despite hundreds of years of age and hundreds of battles Sam's skin was still smooth to the touch. Even the boys scars were smooth on his skin. Not only was his skin smooth but it was soft. The only part of his skin that felt rough were Sam's hands and feet. There was a softness and a smoothness that the years didn't seem to be able to get rid of and he hoped they never did. Not only that but his skin carried an almost exotic look now. His skin was always a deep bronze from hours spent in the sun. The only part of his that wasn't tan were the scars that criss-crossed his body. The scars stayed white no matter how much sun Sam got and they gave the appearance that Sam was wearing some sort of war paint.

Perhaps it was his hair. Dark brown curls that never seemed to be tamed. Sam never seemed to brush his hair and chances were if he told you that he did then he was lying. He knew that Sam never brushed his hair. He didn't need to. His hair was curled do tightly that he could barley get his brush through them so he simply let it be. He loves running his holoforms fingers through Sam's hair when times were stressful. It helped relax both of them.

Or was it his eyes. Years spent fighting and under almost constant stress had given Sam's eyes an almost hard look and age had dulled them to a silvery grey color. But if you knew him well enough you'd be able to read his eyes with ease. They were still just as expressive as they had been the day they had first met. How he loved looking into Sam's eyes. He could read them so well that an entire conversation could pass between them and neither one of them would have to say a word. How he loved looking into those eyes. There were times he swore that he could get lost in depth of Sam's eyes.

Maybe it was his breathing. As odd as it sounded he loved watching Sam breath. There was something about the simple motion that moved him. It was a sign that Sam was alive and well. More easily seen and herd than Sam's heartbeat, not that he didn't love listening to that too. He could watch Sam breath for hours on end. He'd spent many a night just watching Sam breath. Even when Sam was awake he'd watch him breath. There was a calming fact to Sam's breathing. It was always steady. Each breath forcing its way through mouth or nose and always coming at the same rate when awake or asleep. He could practically keep time by listening to Sam breath and more often than not if the were separated on a battlefield he'd listen for Sam's breathing in order to find the boy or to find out his physical state of being. Over time he had learned that he could be told almost everything about his human bonded by simply listening to him breath. It often saved him from getting an annoyed look from his bonded when he was scanned. Sam hated being scanned and he always knew when it was happening no matter how light the scan was. But still he loved watching Sam breath. It was a sign that his bonded was alive and well and not going anywhere anytime soon.

Was it right to love someone for their size? He supposed that it didn't really matter. It was something hat he would probably never mention to Sam but he loved the fact that Sam was smaller than him. He knew that there were times that Sam's small stature bothered Sam immensely but it didn't bother Optimus at all. Sam didn't seem to have a problem throwing himself at opponents bigger than himself. But for some reason he loved the fact that Sam was so small compared to him. It gave is bonded an almost cute factor. Something about Sam being so small made him far more attractive to him than he would have been had Sam been his size. There was a grace and delicate quality that came with the boys size. Besides it was a plus in his books that he could hold Sam in both his holoform's arms and his arms in bipedal form. Sam didn't have any trouble sleeping in either and more often than one would think Sam slept cradled in the arms of his bonded's true form. Optimus loved the fact that he was small enough to hold in more than one way. This was of course something he was wary of telling Sam about due to the fact that the only ones he didn't have to look up to come face to face with were a few of the cassettes and most of the pretenders.

Then there was always Sam's strength. Sam had always been strong. It had just taken a while for him to realize that he was. It had taken a lot of digging for him to uncover his own hidden strength. It had been a long process but eventually he had done it. After he had found his own inner strength it had been nearly impossible for him to fail at anything. He knocked every government in the world for a loop in one day and had ensured that the Autobots were able to stay on Earth. In less than a year he had become one of the best warriors he'd ever seen and he included many of the mechs and femmies that he'd known for eons. Sam lead his team with a strength that more than rivaled Optimus' own and he was able to draw his own strength from that.

It could have been the boys will. He had met many people on Earth who were stubborn and had wanted to see things through till the very end. Many of them hadn't. But Sam had. As many Decepticons often put it…" He just refused to slaggin die". Sam's will was stronger than anything he had ever seen and he included himself. Sam would never give up and if he failed the first time then he was trying again as soon as he was able. The events in Egypt were still one of his most memorable triumphs. Sam never gave up and more often than not he was able to encourage his team to not give up as well. They hadn't failed a mission in Vorns and it wasn't likely they would fail one anytime soon. Sam was to strongly willed to give up on a mission. His will inspired those around him to try their hardest.

Then there was Sam's nature. The way Sam was more often than not was enough for those around him to like him. Kind hearted and gentle was the Sam, that those who cared enough to get to know him, that they grew to know. Always kind and gentle. Though he could have a bit of an attitude when he wanted to and he still had a mouth smarter and faster than even Bluestreak. More often than not it was Sam who was giving the first opinion of a new mech or femmie or making some wise cracking remark about them if they had the right attitude. Sam had called Galloway an asshole to the man's face after having just met the man. Epps had almost chocked on his drink because he'd been laughing so hard. More often than not Sam was blunt and straight forward when it came to talking. He'd miss it if Sam ever stopped.

Seeing him ready for a fight was something as well. He wasn't sure what it was about seeing Sam in armor that sent a thrill through his spark but it did. There was just something about Sam in armor that thrilled him. There was a grace there that Sam didn't seem to possess when he was out of the armor that he did when he was in it. There was something about Sam during battle that was different from the Sam he knew so well. There was a ferocity in battle that was never there at any other time. There was something primal about Sam during battle that seemed to take hold of the boy. There was no mercy in his attacks and no mercy shown when killing an enemy. Perhaps the draw had something to do with that line he and his mechs couldn't cross. At least not without then becoming Decepticons. Optimus knew that if he crossed that line that he would fall and that was something that he couldn't allow. But Sam could. Sam could cross that line and come back and be just fine and the white armor decorated in golden flames he wore seemed to carry that ability. It was as if the armor allowed Sam to become the beast he needed to be in battle. A best that would slay an enemy in a second and help a fallen comrade in a heartbeat. For no matter the battle situation he had never hurt a friend even though at times he had performed mercy killing. But only when friends had been to damaged to make it to a mechanic. It seemed that in armor Sam became the perfect warrior. He needed that warrior to go where he couldn't and Sam was more than willing.

Perhaps it was Sam's love. Never before in his long life had he seen a creature love like Sam did. Not only did Sam seem to love so easily but he was easily loved in return. He seemed to inspire even the hardest of warriors to love. He had loved Sam from the first moment he'd saw the boy though he hadn't known it at the time. Sam had loved him too though the feeling had been overshadowed by the love he'd felt for Mikaela. That was okay though for both of them had needed the time to get to know one another and to discover the love that had buried itself deep within their souls. It hadn't taken then long to discover that love when circumstances had allowed then to. He had only thought at first that the warm feeling he could almost sense from Sam had been for Mikaela but over time it had become clear that what Sam felt was for him and him alone. The love that the boy had had for him had only been overshadowed by what he had felt for Mikaela. But still Sam loved him in a way that was deep and pure and completely innocent in a way that only Sam seemed able to be. And it was such a love as to lift the very deepest depths of sorrow from his spark and bask them in a warm light that drove every other negative feeling away from him. With Sam there was only love.

And now that Optimus thought about it perhaps that was what he loved most about Sam. Perhaps it was the boys ability to love so deeply despite all that had happened to him. No matter what the boy lost he still loved so deeply. Optimus smiled as he looked down at the boy sleeping in his holoform's arms. Deep breaths entering and exiting his lungs every few seconds. Sam wouldn't be waking up anytime soon. This was one of the rare nights that Sam would spend in the arms of Optimus' holoform. Optimus smiled as he placed a kiss in top of Sam's head and ran his fingers lightly down the side of Sam's face. There were so many things about his bonded that he loved. It was a list that changed and grew as time went by. And Optimus looked forward to finding something else about his bonded that he could love.

Oooooo

Yay another chapter down and a few thousand words closer to my goal. With any luck I'll be there soon. I may or may not do one about Sam thinking about Optimus and what he loves about him. Actually I challange those of you who have read this and want to to do one from Sam about what he loves about Optimus. And I wish those of you who want to do this the best of luck.


	21. Breathe

Plot Bunny: None

Bteathe

It had been meant as a joke or at least that's what Sam hoped. It was Trent and his friends after all and they knew that he could only go so long without fresh air didn't they. Didn't they? Panic began to form as Sam eyed the darkness around him. All he really knew about what had happened was that it had something to do with Trent and his friends. Hell he didn't even know where he was. All he knew was that it was small and dark and no matter how hard he pushed at the top of whatever he was in he couldn't get it to open. He couldn't hear the light voices that had been there when he had woken up and the gag that had been in his mouth had prevented him from calling out.

At least they had had enough sense not to put tape over his mouth so he was able to force out whatever they had stuffed in his mouth after a minute or two of work. They had tied his hands together. He had woken up on his back and had tried to push whatever was on top of whatever he was in off with his legs but that hadn't worked and now as far as he knew he was stuck. He didn't even know what time it was. He did know though that Bumblebee was probably freaking out right now.

He know Bumblebee well enough to know that his guardian knew that something was wrong when he hadn't shown up in the parking lot after he'd finished running an errand for one of his teachers at school. He had sent Bumblebee a text telling him that'd he be a few minutes because he was taking something to another classroom because Ms. Long was pregnant and wasn't supposed to carry heavy things. Bumblebee had sent a message back to let him know that he'd gotten the message Sam had sent him.

But now he wasn't really sure what was going on and he couldn't fell his phone in his back pocket. God, he hoped that it hadn't been destroyed by Trent or one of the jock's friends. How was Bumblebee going to find him if he didn't have his phone. Sam fought down the urge to panic and forced himself to try and breath normally. He'd be fine. All he had to do was wait for Bumblebee to find him. Besides if he knew Bumblebee as well as he thought he did he knew that it wouldn't take his over protective guardian long to call in reinforcements.

Hell he had probably already called in Optimus and the others being as paranoid as he was. Sam swore that when they found him he was never going to tease Bumblebee about being a mother hen again. Hell he'd probably end up a lot more paranoid after all this was over. Now all he had to do was wait for be to find him. Sam took a deep breath trying his best not to panic. Panicking in this situation would only lead to something bad happening. He tried for a moment to remember how long a human being could go without air only to stop a few seconds later because he was beginning to freak himself out. He had to keep telling himself to keep calm and not panic.

Needless to say as seconds ticked by like hours he was having less and less confidence in what he was telling himself. Was it a bad thing that he couldn't lie convincingly enough to himself to keep from having a major panic attack. Maybe if he tried to figure out what Trent and his friends had him trapped in it would help. There was something slightly important that his brain was trying to get him to remember but for the life of him he couldn't remember what it was.

It was something to do with Trent or with his family at least. Brown eyes shifted in the darkness that surrounded him as they tried to see anything that could help him. There was something so familiar about what he was in but it was almost like there was something from it that was missing. Like the last time he had seen the object he was trapped in there had been something else there. That missing something eluded him. Sam sighed and let his head tip back until it hit the wood of his current prison.

At least the wood was smooth and now that he thought about it he noticed that the wood smelled good. Like it was made of oak or something. Then that all to important fact hit him. The last time he had seen whatever he was in there had been fabric running along the sides, top, and bottom. Realization his him in the gut hard. He knew what he was in now. He was in an unfinished coffin. Trent's father made them in his wood shop when the morgue didn't have one that they family looking liked. He'd herd that Trent's father made them to suite the families desires.

He was in a coffin and more likely than not they had put something on top so he couldn't get out. Sam could feel his heart beating faster with every second that passed. Breaths came harder to find and he new that he was headed into a full scale panic attack and he wouldn't be able to stop it. There was nothing he could do. Fear had taken a firm hold in his brain and wasn't letting him regain control and calm down. His panic worsened when he realized that he was starting to have trouble breathing.

Oooooo

Optimus fought down the urge to growl as he scanned his surroundings. Nothing, Still nothing and he'd been looking for almost half an hour. He knew things were bad when Bumblebee had told him that he couldn't find Sam. They both knew that it hadn't been a Decepticon that had taken the boy. If one had Bumblebee would have been able to catch the Con on a scan. No something human had taken Sam and now they couldn't find the boy and they were running out of ideas for places to look. They had tried the boys phone and so far none of them had had any luck getting through to the boy.

They couldn't even use it to find the boy. The only conclusion that he could come to was that Sam's phone had been turned off and that was something Sam never did. Sam's phone was always on when he was at school. Even if it was on vibrate Sam always found a way to answer within a few minutes. They couldn't seem to track him with it either at the moment. So they could only assume that something bad had happened to the boy. He wasn't sure where he should look next. He couldn't use Sam's phone to track him and Bumblebee, Lennox, and Ironhide had already checked all of the usual places that Sam might have been.

Where was he going to look next? How could he find Sam? It was then that he remembered something. It was a small detail that he doubted even Bumblebee had thought about. Sam's phone wasn't the only thing that they could use to track the boy. Sam had one of those portable game devices. That had access to the internet on it. If he could figure out how to get a message of some sort to that little device then maybe he could find him. Even if it was off Sam would still get it and he'd be able to follow the signal that lead somewhere other than Sam's house.

Chances were that he'd get two signals, one from Sam's phone, he could access the internet from that too, and one from the device, all he had to do was send Bumblebee to one and he could go to the other. Ironhide and Lennox could go to whichever one they were closer too. If Optimus had been in his bipedal form he would have smacked himself for not thinking about doing this before. It took only seconds for him to send his message and a few more for him to trace the two signals to both Sam's phone and his game system. Sending one location to Bumblebee he began following the one closest to him the moment that the location made it back to him. Needless to say he hadn't expected to end up in front of a carpenters shop. Optimus rolled to a stop in front of the disserted shop. It was closed.

Wondering if he had developed a glitch that had lead him to this lonely place Optimus ran a quick scan of the area anyways. It never hurt to be safe. The information that rushed back into his processor almost caused him to crash. The shop wasn't empty. There was a heartbeat there. One that was terribly familiar and it was slowing down. The program that ran his holoform activated in a fraction of a second and before the process was even complete he was pushing the drivers side door open in a hurry. Booted feet his the ground with a soft thump before Optimus was moving toward the door to building. Grabbing the handle of the door Optimus pushed. The door refused to open. It was locked from the inside.

Optimus only hesitated for a second before he forced the door open. He knew that he had probably just set off a silent alarm but he wasn't going to worry about that right now. Sam's safety came first besides he was quite sure that the owner of the shop would prefer a break in to a dead body. Optimus froze a few steps inside the door. Primus must really hate him. There was no other explanation for what was in front of him than that simple fact. Why else would the room he was standing be filled with a dozen places that Sam could be?

If Optimus was one for cursing he would have as he moved from place to place checking anywhere that was big enough for Sam to be trapped. "Where are you?" Optimus asked. As he continued looking around the room. He had cleared the room and hadn't found a single trace of Sam anywhere. There had to be some place he hadn't looked because he knew that Sam was somewhere in the building. He could feel it in his spark. Frustration mixed with worry.

"Sam!"

Optimus called hoping for some sort of answer from the boy. He didn't quite get the answer he'd been hoping for. Instead of a voice calling back to him from the corner of one blue eye he saw a door. A door he hadn't noticed before due to it's placement. Thanking Primus as he moved through the open doorway Optimus was sure that he'd find Sam in the next room. Whatever hope he had threatened to vanish as he got a good look at the interior of the room.

Coffins. The room was full of coffins. There was no way that he'd be able to find Sam in time with so many to look through. He was about to start looking when one small detail on one of the coffins in the back of the room caught his attention. That coffin had something resting on top of the lid. As Optimus moved towards the coffin he realized that the box on top of the coffin was filled with tools. It would be enough to hold the lid down but it wouldn't be to heavy.

It was something that should a person push hard enough against they'd be able to get it off with a little effort. That was if the person wasn't panicking and was able to think with a straight mind. He knew where Sam was. Optimus didn't bother picking the box of tools up off of the coffin. He merely pushed them off of the other side causing the box to his the ground with a crash and sending the tools inside flying as they hit the floor. Thankfully the lid to the coffin could be slid off and didn't need to be lifted. It followed the tool box to the ground seconds later.

"Sam." Optimus' voice sounded weak as his eyes landed on the pale form resting in the coffin. For a few brief moments Optimus couldn't move. His whole body was still as he looked at Sam. He had known when he had arrived that things would be bad but he hadn't expected this. He hadn't expected to find Sam like this.

All pale and still and Optimus knew he wasn't breathing but he couldn't make himself move. But he needed to move. Needed to get Sam out and try and get the breathing again before his heart stopped completely and all hope was lost. Shaking himself in an attempt to get rid of the shock that had stopped his holoform from moving Optimus was as careful when he reached into the coffin to pull Sam out. He had to stop halfway through in order to untie the cloth that was holding Sam's hands behind his back. Once Sam's hands were free he continued to pull the boy out of the coffin. Sam's body was dead weight in his arms. The boy's head lolling backwards when there was nothing underneath it to support it.

Optimus was careful as he laid Sam on the floor. Sam's condition was bad enough and he didn't want t do anything that might make it worse. Now all he had to do was figure out what he was going to do. CPR was out of the question. His holoform didn't need air in order to survive so it didn't actually breathe. Panic gripped the Prime's spark as he realized that for once in his long life he didn't know what to do. How the was he supposed to solve this problem when he couldn't do the one thing that Sam needed him to do?

Time was running out. He knew it was. With every second that passed Sam's chances of surviving lessened and he was stuck. Doing probably the only logical thing that had popped into his processor over the last few seconds Optimus placed a firm hand over Sam's chest a pushed. With any luck there was still air in Sam's lungs and if could get it out them maybe his body would realize that he could breathe again. It was stupid and the chances that it would work weren't very good but it was something. And he had to try. Pushing down on Sam's chest yielded a small reward. A small breath whispered past the boys lips.

"Sam. Come on Sam you can do it." Optimus said as he pulled Sam into his arms and gave the boys cheek a soft pat. "Please Sam. You have to breathe." Hope was running thin. Despair began to work it's way into Optimus' spark. He'd been too late and there had been too little that he could do. Sam wasn't going to make it. He'd gone to long without air and there was nothing Optimus could do to change that. He'd simply been too late.

If Optimus could have cried he would have. He would have cried for the friend that he hadn't been able to save and at the young life that had been lost. He could hear the sound of sirens in the distance and he wondered if he should stay or not. He supposed that it didn't really matter all that much. It wasn't like the cops could keep him in jail. The bigger question was what he was going to do with Sam. He didn't know if he should take the boy's body with him or leave him on the floor for the cops to find. No. He couldn't leave Sam there alone even if it meant he got into trouble.

The sound of sirens grew louder as the cops got closer to his location. Maybe that's why he hadn't noticed it at first. Something soft touched his neck causing the Prime to jump. Blue eyes going wide as he realized what was happening Optimus looked down. Though his eyes were still closed Sam's chest was moving. Weak breaths escaping the boy's lungs every few seconds. Wrapping his arms all the way around Sam's chest Optimus smiled as he watched Sam breathe.

He could hear men talking outside and he knew that the cops had arrived but he still couldn't bring himself to move. Besides cops would be able to provide Sam with help that he still needed. All he had to do was wait.

Ooooooo

Um. Ya. This is another one of those fic's that I don't know where it came from. I just kinda liked the thought of Sam being stuck in a coffin. For those of you who can't tell I have no idea how long the human body can go without air. I think it's a couple of minutes but like I said I don't know. Ya this one seems kinda wonkey to me but oh well.


	22. GoodBye's

Plot Bunny: Maybe they'd meet again someday. Maybe they wouldn't. It didn't matter anymore. He waved good-bye.

Good-Bye's

It was one of those things that he knew he'd have to face eventually. The Autobots couldn't stay on earth forever no matter how badly he wanted them too. No matter how badly he wanted to go with Optimus back to the mech's home world. He couldn't do it though. He couldn't leave the human race alone when it was just beginning its newest stage in evolution. As much as it hurt him to think about it he knew this was something that had to be done. The Autobots needed their Prime and the humans needed theirs. So he had to stay.

It didn't stop the tears from rolling down his cheeks as he looked up at the night sky and waited for Optimus to join him. This would be their last night together for a very long time if ever. They still had no idea how long he would live and Sam had a feeling that he still had a very long time to live. Long as transformers measured time. The human version of long hadn't really changed all that much in his thirty six thousand years of life.

He had watched as his family and friends had died. He had watched bloodlines wither away into nothing until the only thing that had stayed the same was the Autobots. And now even they were leaving him behind. Sam knew of what was going to happen. He knew of the pain that was going to rule his life after Optimus and the others left the planet and their bond was stretched past the breaking point and then some.. Many wondered if it would break due to the stress distance would put on it.

Sam knew that it wouldn't. Starting tomorrow he would have to live with the constant pain. Optimus knew what would happen too and he would be in just as much pain as Sam. But they would both push on through it and live because their people needed them and as much as they hated it they had to put their races before each other. Sam sighed and a shiver ran up his spine from the cool night air.

He hated what was going to happen so very much but he couldn't stop it. He knew that he could argue and fight with the council and with Optimus but they had spoken and overruled the large mech. Sam wiped at the tears cascading down his cheeks in a futile attempt to get rid of them. There was far too much sorrow filling his being for them to stop anytime soon.

Worn brown eyes blinked as the sound of heavy footsteps reached him where he sat. Optimus was on his way. Sam wished with all his might that they could stay just one more day. He had far to many friends to say good-bye to and far to little time. He supposed that he could be saying his farewells now but night time had always been for him and Optimus.

"Sam." The deep baritone that graced his ears rivaled the sweetest cords of music. Sam wiped at his eyes again before standing up and looking at the Autobot leader. Sam opened his mouth to say something to Optimus but the only thing he could manage was a broken sounding sob. He didn't even have time to hit his knees before warm metal fingers were wrapping around his body and lifting him into the air.

"What's wrong little one?" Optimus asked as he lifted Sam so that the boy was optic level. His voice lowed down to soothing levels that he hadn't used since their last adopted child had been small. Sam sniffed before he answered.

"I don't know if I can do it Optimus."

"Do what?" Optimus asked as he sat on the ground.

"Everything that I need to do." Sam voice was shaking as he spoke. "How can I say good -bye to my family? Or lead the human race into a new stage of life. How can I do everything that's expected of me without you here?"

Blue optics shuttered as Optimus attempted to think of a reply that would help soothe his hurting bonded. It had been a very long time since he had seen Sam in this state. The last time he could think of was when the war was still being fought and he had lost almost all of his team to Shockwave and Soundwave. It bothered Optimus that he was having trouble thinking of an answer for his broken hearted bonded. If he allowed himself to tell the truth he didn't really want to leave the planet either but the council had insisted that he cone back to Cybertron with them.

Like it or not he was still needed by his kind even if all he was going to be doing was helping rebuild. They knew of course. All of the Autobots knew what was going to happen the next day. They knew what both he and Sam were giving up in order to take care of their people. They knew of the pain that both would suffer not long into the next morning and the likeliness that both would be suffering for a very long time. There was no possible way that either one of them could move back and forth between the two planets so that they could see each other often. It simply wasn't possible.

Cybertron and Earth were simply to far apart for either of them to travel back and forth between the two. But what could he possibly say to give Sam the confidence to do what he needed to do. So he did the only thing he could do. He told the truth.

"I'm not sure Sam. I wish I had an answer for you but I don't." Whatever reply he'd been expecting from the tearful human wasn't what he got.

"Sad aren't we?" Sam asked as he took a few deep breaths of air. He had managed to get control over his violent sobbing and now only small tears managed to escape. "Here we are Primes and for thousands of years we've almost always known what to do or say but when it comes down to it neither one of us seems to now what to do when we're going to be separated." Optimus processed the thought for a moment before responding.

"It is sad in a way but once you think about it we have always done our best when we were together." Sam nodded. Optimus was right. Every single one of their greatest victories had happened when the two had been planning or fighting together. It had been that way for a long time and even after thousands of years that single fact remained the same. They worked best together.

"You'll do better than I will. You had a few thousand years worth of practice before we even met." And it was true Optimus did have a lot of practice when it came to leading alone.

"In time it will be easy for me to do but it won't be easy for me at first little one. I've gotten far to used to having your help over the years. I think that when the time comes both of us will have trouble." Sam found he could only nod in agreement. He didn't really know what to say. What could he say to his forever love. What did one say when there was a chance when you would never see each other again?

The morning sun rose into a sky full of clouds the next morning. The air was thick with sorrow. Many had gathered to watch the great ship take their brothers and sisters of another race back to their home. Sam took a deep shuttering breath as he watched the ship. This was the moment he'd been dreading for a long time. When he would finally have to say good-bye to Optimus and the others.

The night before had helped to calm some of his fears but many remained. For he was no longer a soldier leading a team of pretenders through a blood and energon soaked battlefield but a human getting ready to become a leader. There was no enemy here to face but the future. He had a lot of work to do and he had no idea how he was going to get started. He didn't know how the human species would evolve and if that evolution would lead them into salvation or into ruin.

Optimus had promised that they would come back someday. He knew it was the truth but he didn't know if he would be there to great them. No one knew how long he would live after all but he had promised to wait for his forever love to return. Maybe they'd meet again someday.

Maybe they wouldn't. It didn't matter anymore. He waved good-bye. He knew that they couldn't see him but it was the only gesture that he could think off. As the Ark exited the atmosphere Sam took a deep breath and turned to face those that had gathered to watch their friends go back to their original home. These were the people that he was supposed to lead. He wasn't sure how he would do it but he had made a vow of his own to Optimus as they sat under Earth's stars the night before.

"_I'll make the human race one that you can truly call family. One that will not have to earn its merit through war but through peace. We'll be something that you can be proud of Optimus. I promise." Optimus' reply had been simply to chuckle and say… _

"_I'm sure you will Sam."_

Oooooo

Yay another chapter done. Ya that's about all I have to say.


	23. Curious Thoughts

Plot Bunny: "It is a curious thought, but it is only when you see people looking ridiculous that you realize just how much you love them."

Curious Thoughts

Sam had to fight down the mad desire to laugh as he looked at his bonded through the kitchen window. He had seen many strange things in his life but this one took the cake. It wasn't very often that Optimus actually played with Audra and Annabelle and even when the girls both said that he did no one other than the girls ever got to see him play. It was one of those things that made him want to cock his head to the side like Mojo tended to do from time to time.

Because when was he ever going to see Optimus Prime playing hopscotch ever again. The scene outside of the window was so absurd that he wanted to laugh but he found he had to settle on a very amused look. He knew that chances were that if he laughed then Optimus would hear him and stop. It was so tempting to take a picture so he could show Lennox when he saw the man later that night but chances were that it'd end up all over the base.

Unlike Ironhide he wouldn't be able to blackmail the army major into keeping his mouth shut or at least not telling Epps about what he'd seen. Then after Epps found out about the game then it would be all over the base. He really didn't want Optimus to have to break his no hurting humans rule. But still Sam couldn't help but smile because this was a side of Optimus that not even he had seen. It was just that Optimus seemed more the type to read the girl's stories or color or play board games or something of that nature. Never had he imagined that Optimus would end up playing hopscotch.

It was strange to see Optimus playing. The poor mech was almost always busy and sadly his time spent at home with family wasn't what he wanted it to be. More often than not he got home after both Annabelle and Audra had gone to bed and were asleep. He knew that Optimus valued the time spent with both him and Audra more than anything that he could think of.

Optimus often felt that he didn't spend enough time with them. Which meant that he was usually trying to convince him that it didn't bother either of them. Audra understood that Optimus had to work a lot. She even knew that he worked helping people though she had no idea about what all he truly did. They had agreed to wait for a while to explain that more often than not Optimus was off fighting bad guys and that there was a chance that he wouldn't come back. All the girl knew was that Optimus helped people and she seemed quite happy with that explanation. Sam shook his head.

It was still hard to believe what was going on in front of his eyes and he was watching it as it happened. It was strange seeing Optimus not be serious because the Optimus he knew was almost always serious. But this was something Sam felt he could get used to quite fast. He liked seeing this side of Optimus. He had to wonder if Optimus might have been like this before the was had started. There was a light in the eyes of his holoform that Sam didn't see often and when he did it wasn't like this. There was something there that wasn't for him but for Audra and Annabelle.

There was a love there that was meant only for the girls that he was playing with and for no one else. Sam felt almost bad for standing there and watching them. Some part of him felt like he was spying but he supposed that he was safe until either Optimus or one of the girls noticed he was watching. This was one of those moments he knew that he'd remember for the rest of his life and he truly hoped he did. He wanted to keep this moment of play etched into his memory forever.

This would be a moment that years from now he'd be telling the girls about and chances were that they wouldn't believe him. It was a hard thing to think about because he knew that this moment couldn't last. That little tidbit of information made him wish that it would last forever because come tomorrow morning things would go back to the way they always were.

Optimus would go back to the way he always was and there was a great chance that he would never see anything like this ever again. The man in front him playing was not the Autobot leader that everyone knew. This wasn't the leader that they needed. But perhaps with time and a lot of luck this would be the leader that later generations would get to now. Perhaps they'd be able to see the Autobot leader as he saw him now. Laughing, and smiling with blue eyes bright with joy and laughter. This was the Optimus that they girls knew but only when he was able to let himself be this way. This Optimus was part of the face that was hidden behind a battle mask and eons of fighting.

Sam smiled and shook his head ridding himself of the troublesome thoughts that had settled in his brain. He had other things to worry about right now. Things like dinner and the cookies that needed to be made for Audra's party at school the next day. Knocking quickly on the glass in front of him to get there attention Sam gave a 'come here motion with his hand. The girls and Optimus looked at each other for a moment and Optimus said something to them before both girls started running towards the front door. Sam's smile widened as he looked at Optimus, who stood looking down at the box of sidewalk chalk that the girls had left outside.

Sam watched as Optimus bent down to pick up the box before he turned and looked straight at Sam. He gave the brunette a questioning look when he saw the smile on Sam's face. Sam merely shook his head at his bonded and turned to great the girls as they came running into the kitchen. There was no way he was going to tell Optimus about what he had just seen. Besides he was always looking for good blackmail material.

Oooooo

For some reason I just can't really see Optimus as the get outside and play with the kids type. It might be because he so serious all the time.


	24. Pity

Plot Bunny: "I don't fear you; I pity you. You could rule the universe and you still would be incredibly lonely."

Pity

Sam cringed as he looked at the towering being standing in front of him. Thirty feet of alien metal and weaponry. Grip tightening on his bow he cursed his luck and the fact that he'd ran out of arrows long ago. This being would require the use of his sword but he didn't have that anymore either. It had been knocked out of his hand by an unnamed enemy not long into the battle.

All he had now was a hunting knife made from alien metal that still dripped energon. His poor blade wouldn't do much against the titan in front of him though. Sam's armor creaked as he turned to face his opponent anyways. He had to win this battle no matter what and there wasn't anyone left to help him at this point. All of the others were still fighting back on the battlefield.

He was too far away from the battlefield for anybody to get to him soon. Even if they could get there fast enough to provide any aid he wasn't going to call for help. It was his fault that he was even facing the mech in front of him. He had created this monster and now if Primus allowed it he would send him to the Unmaker. This was his job and nobody else's. This being was his responsibility and he was going to fix his mistake.

"Prime." The mech in front of him growled. The growl sent a shiver down Sam's back but he found the strength to growl back. He knew that his chances of surviving this fight were slim but he supposed that if he had to die then he would rather die by this mech's hand than by the hand of any other. And if things turned out like he feared they might it would probably happen that way.

"We don't have to fight like this. Join me and we can rule together." Sam sighed and shook his head. The mech before him had made this offer many times before and every time he refused. He couldn't join him no matter how much his heart screamed at him to. The Autobots needed him and so did everyone else. He couldn't abandon them now not when he was the only Prime left but there was still hope for the being in front of him.

"You know that I can't do that." The being before him let out another growl, this one was much deeper. The annoyance his answer caused was evident.

"Why not? Why do you insist on staying with those weak fools?" Sam smiled a bitter smile and answered as he always had. With the truth.

"Because I love them. They're my family and they deserve to have peace. The same peace that you could have if you'd let me help you. The same peace that you could have."

"I don't need them and I don't need peace. I need you and only you. All others can vanish." Sam sighed and tightened his grip on his knife.

"You know very well that I don't want to live like that." The mech before him stepped forward. Black armor catching but not releasing the suns rays.

"We could have everything. We could be the most feared beings in the universe. If I can not talk you into it them perhaps I can scare you into it. Fear has always been the best way to motivate your kind. The best way to motivate you." Sam found he could only chuckle at the perversion of the mechs words. His reply wasn't what the titan in front of him wanted to hear. He wouldn't deny however that fear had always been one of the best motivators for him. The only difference between now and then was who he feared for.

"I don't fear you; I pity you. You could rule the universe and you still would be incredibly lonely. Besides I could never fear you. I love you far to much for that Optimus." Optimus growled at the human before him again dark red optic's flaring. The human Prime was all he wanted. All he needed and he'd tear the universe asunder if that was what it took for the human to stay with him. But nothing he ever did ever worked for every time he offered the human refused.

They had been together once but those memories much like the humans name were gone. There was nothing left of the time before the black armor. There was only the time after and what he had become. If the Prime wanted to fight then he would fight. He wanted it too. He wanted to feel the humans warm blood on his hands. Wanted to see the light in that little insects eyes go out.

For if the human wouldn't have him then the human would die. Sam's hand still gripped his bow even though he had no arrows left to fire. Sam tensed as he waited for Optimus to make the first move. He always did and this time was no exception.

There was barley a split second for him to dodge the plutonium bullet that was fired from Optimus' barrage rifle. He could hear the bullet explode as it hit the ground where he had been seconds before. Large chunks of rock banged against his armor and dirt rose up in large clouds obscuring his vision. He'd only have a few seconds before the second shot was fired.

He was lucky that he'd done this before and had experience with Optimus' style of fighting. Sam rolled to the side as the second shot roared over his head missing him by mere centimeters. He could here the sound of his bow hitting the ground where he dropped it. His whole body was tense as he moved toward the towering frame that was Optimus. If he could get on the bots back he'd have half a chance of winning this fight and living. He could hear the earth crumbling beneath large feet as Optimus moved towards him. He had very little time. He didn't have the strength to draw out this battle for long.

Every sense told him that his target was close. A large hand reached out to grab him. Sam moved backwards half a step before he plunged his knife in-between the gaps of the mech's fingers. Optimus let out a surprised scream as he tried to pull Sam's knife out from between the plates on his finger. It was a task that was easier said than done. The blade was small and hard for him to grab. This was the chance that Sam had waited for. It was his chance to get to Optimus.

For while Optimus was occupied with trying to remove his knife he'd be able to move unnoticed. And for the most part he was. Optimus didn't notice as Sam began moving up the back of one of his large legs fingers using the gaps in his armor to climb higher. Sam cringed as he felt Optimus stand up straight. He'd managed to remove the blade and now he was looking for Sam. Sam started moving again and this time he wasn't being as careful. He needed speed and not stealth now. It was a simple touch that alerted Optimus to where the human was.

Sam yelped as Optimus began to thrash back and forth trying to throw Sam off of his back. It was a well known fact that Sam tended to shoot his targets in the back of the head with arrows due to a weak spot on the armor on the back of their heads. There was one space where the armor was weaker than it should have been. Optimus didn't seem to realize that Sam had neither bow nor arrows.

It was that space that Sam was going for but not for the reason that Optimus suspected. Sam had a different reason in mind. Sam's grip tightened on Optimus' armor and he thanked Primus that the mech couldn't reach him. Sam's world shook even after Optimus had stopped moving. That was bad. He was running out of energy and sadly the adrenaline rush that had hidden the pain of wounds from the battle before was beginning to fade. It felt like his brain was wobbling in his skull and his muscles strained to do their job.

He knew that if he didn't get this done soon then he wouldn't be able to do it. Sadly he wasn't expecting the move that Optimus pulled next. Air rushed passed him as the body he clung to plummeted towards the ground. Optimus was going to squish him! Knowing that he had to move fast Sam let go of the armor he'd been holding and pushed against it in order to launch himself to his desired destination. He hit the ground second before Optimus did. While the mech had fallen over him he hadn't landed on him. There were a few places where the gaps in armor made nice places to hide in case of falling. The only problem with Sam's situation was that Optimus would have to move before he'd be able to go anywhere. Sadly he wasn't able to for a large hand grabbed hold of his just as he was about to move.

Large fingers wrapped around his body in a tight embrace and Sam could feel his ribs and spine protesting despite the armor he wore to protect himself. He wondered which would give first. His ribs or his spine? His armor could only withstand so much pressure and Optimus was one of the few that would be able to crush him even if he had it on. Sam sucked in a pained breath as he was lifted high enough to look into dark red optics. Optics that used to be blue.

"What are you going to do now boy? I've caught you and I doubt that you'll be getting away this time." Optimus said. If he could have he would have shuddered at the cold tone that the once warm voice had taken. Sam took a small breath and answered.

"I'm going to save you." Optimus chuckled.

"And how are you going to do that?" He could hear the barest hint of curiosity in Optimus' voice. Sam smiled.

"By giving you everything that I am and taking all that you are." Optimus growled and his grip around Sam tightened enough that Sam let out a strangled cry. Sam was sure that a few of his ribs had just broken. Sam blinked trying to will away the fatigue that was taking hold of his body and to get rid of the fog that was clouding his mind and drifting in front of his eyes. It was now or never. His earlier plan had failed which meant that he wouldn't be able to use the easiest path but the hardest.

If he was going to save Optimus then he had to act quickly. Sam took a breath this one deeper than the last and focused on the power that had made its home in his body over the course of thousands of years. It was there waiting to do his bidding. All he had to do was give it direction. He was aware of a voice speaking to him as he focused but he couldn't understand what it was saying. He did however feel the pain that came when Optimus tightened his grip again. Taking hold of what he needed Sam forced his eyes open. He tilted his head back so that he could look Optimus in the optic's and he let a soft smile slip across his features.

"You think you can save me?" Sam chuckled and a bubble of blood forced its way up his throat and out of his mouth only to pop as it was filled with air. Optimus had forced at least two of his ribs into his lungs. The blood staining his lips red.

"Yes. I know I can save you. Do you know why?" Sam asked in a soft voice. A lovers voice.

"Why?" Optimus growled as he moved to tighten his grip on the human again. The smile never left Sam's face and his voice was barley a whisper.

"Because I love you." As the last words left bloody lips a surge of energy raced from Sam and struck Optimus. The mech let out an electronic scream as pure energy (healing energy) forced its way into his systems. Running through his whole body from processor to spark. He could feel something or maybe someone reaching for him and who or whatever it was he wanted it badly.

For the first time in a long time he reached out with his entire being to the soul on the other end of the bond. Sam was more than happy to comply. The bond that had been closed for so long had reopened. It was a warmth that neither of them had felt for a very long time and both of them took a moment to bask in it before the surge of power that Sam had unleashed made another run through Optimus' frame. This time however there was no pain. It was pure bliss as it wiped away the deep darkness that had settled over the Prime.

Images began to flash in front of Optimus' vision so fast that he couldn't tell what they were but when he processed them later he'd be able to see each and everyone. They were memories. Sam's memories. Optics shuttered as red optics turned back to blue and black armor began to return to its natural color. The energy that had ran through his body returned to Sam. As the power died Optimus stood still looking down at his hands. One of which was stained red with Sam's blood. Stained red and open.

"Sam?" Sam smiled as he heard his name spoken both aloud and through their bond. At the moment it was almost all he could do from his place on the ground. Optimus had let him go when the power surge had first hit him. The fall itself hadn't been bad but he had landed wrong and now a sharp pain ran through one of his legs.

"Welcome back." Sam whispered. He didn't have the breath for anything more. He could feel blood filling his lungs. Sam cringed as he felt a large hands scoop him up. Despite how gentle the touch was he couldn't help the pain that ran through his battered body. He could feel Optimus' worry.

"I've had worse." The sentence might have helped calm the mech had Sam not coughed up blood after it had ended. He had been hurt badly before but there had always been help nearby. He'd always had a better chance and now the darkness that he had pulled out of Optimus lived in him.

"No you haven't." Optimus said voice thick with worry and sorrow. "What did you do little one?" The name sent a shiver up Sam's spine. It had been a long time since anyone had dared to call him that. Sam forced his body to move so that he could look at the mech holding him. Frosted brown eyes met bright blue optics. Primus he had missed those optics.

"I told you. I gave you everything I was and took everything you were. The virus Optimus. I took the virus." Blue optics brightened in alarm. What Sam had just said sent a terrible pain running through the Prime's spark. He knew what Sam had just given up. He could hear the devastation in Optimus' voice and he hated that he had caused it.

"You should have left me Sam. I would rather be what I was then have you die." Sam laughed. He knew Optimus' words were true despite the guilt that radiated from the mech from past crimes.

"I couldn't leave you like that Optimus and you would have killed me anyways. At least this way I got to choose how I died." Sam knew that what he was doing was cruel. Fixing Optimus just so that the mech could watch him die but at least this way the Autobots wouldn't be left without a Prime to lead them. He knew that Optimus would suffer from a broken bond and he hated himself for what he was doing but it had been something that had needed to be done.

Sam blinked and felt his eyes drop. He didn't have much time left and he knew it. And judging by the way Optimus pulled him closer the mech new it as well.

"You can't leave me Sam. Not now that every things okay again." Sam lay still he didn't have the energy to speak anymore and as the seconds ticked by he was drifting deeper. His thoughts were getting harder to gather. He might not have had the energy to speak but that didn't mean he was forced to be silent.

"_I'll never leave you Optimus. Not really. It'll just be awhile before we see each other again. And until then be a good bot and do your job. The Autobots need you." _The message was hard to force down the bond between them. Panic was rolling off of Optimus like waves and Sam had to get through those waves to get to Optimus. He didn't know how he'd managed it but the message made it through.

"I need you." He didn't know what to do. For the first time in along time he was lost and he couldn't find his way. Sam was dieing and there was nothing he could do to help. Most of the injures had been caused in a battle he hadn't been there for but the worst of it he had caused. The ribs that had driven themselves into Sam's lungs were his fault. It was all his fault that Sam was going to die. All his fault.

"I'm sorry." The words emerged broken from Optimus' vocal processor as he watched Sam's breaths slow. He hadn't gotten anything other than that single message from Sam. He could feel Sam's emotions ebbing away like the ocean's tide. He tried to focus on them and pull Sam back but with every passing second they slipped further away. If he had been able to cry he would have. He watched as Sam's eye's slipped closed and his chest stopped moving. The tide of emotion was almost gone but there was something reaching out to him and he held onto it with his entire being. A single emotion and a single phrase.

Despite his despair a wave of warmth filled Optimus' being and three words echoed in his processor. The last words spoken through their bond.

"_I love you_." He didn't know if Sam would be able to hear them but he felt it only right to respond in kind.

"_I love you too, little one_." Optimus sat still as a statue as he listened to his bonded's last heartbeats. He could feel the bond unraveling but there was no pain. It didn't hurt at all. It was supposed to hurt more than anything he could ever imagine. All he felt was the gentle unweaving of the bond. He didn't know if it was because of shock or not.

He knew that the battle that the Autobots were fighting would be over soon and that they would come looking for Sam. He knew that he should move but he couldn't bring himself to. They could find him and he would deny nothing and tell them everything he could remember. If, after everything he had done to them, they would have him back them he would join them once again and if not he supposed that he could always leave and hunt down some of the Decepticons that were still lurking somewhere in the universe. Sam would like that he was still trying to help.

He could hear the mechs before they came into visual range and when they came close enough he closed his hands together and turned to meat them. It was Ironhide who stepped forward first.

"Optimus?" Optimus nodded at his old friends questions and glanced down at his hands. Ironhide's optic's followed and there was no doubt in his processor about what he held there.

"I'm sorry Optimus."

"As am I Ironhide. For everything that I have done and everything I couldn't prevent."

ooo

Okay for those of you who don't get it. Optimus was infected with a virus that turned him evil, kinda. In my mind it's more like all he wants is sam and sam dosn't want him that way. Go ahead and laugh at my praising. Anyway, sam more or less gives up his life to fix Optimus. And for any of you who havn't noticed I'm not really good at the sappy good bye stuff. Eh I try.


	25. Break Up

Plot Bunny: Break up (from the Break up and Make up bunny.)

Break up

He didn't know what to do. At least not any more. Not now and he feared that he'd never know what to do ever again. His break up with Mikaela had been bad but this was so much worse. He'd never though that Optimus would dump him like that. He knew that the Autobot leader had his reasons for doing what he had done but it still hurt. It hurt bad and now he didn't know what to do. He didn't know if he should go home, or back to school, or continue staying at the base. Not that he was at the base now. He didn't want to be at the base, not when he knew that he'd run into Optimus.

He didn't hate the mech, he'd never be able to hate him, but right now he just couldn't bring himself to around the mech either. Optimus had broken up with him to keep him safe. The Prime feared that the Decepticons would find out about their relationship and use it against them both. Sam had tried to argue but Optimus hadn't let him. Probably because if he had let Sam talk they'd still be together now. Now here he was sitting in the forest a few miles away from the Autobots current base of operations. He hadn't told anyone he was leaving but anyone who knew him well enough would know where to find him.

He came to the old oak tree whenever he had to think. Now though the situation was the opposite. He'd come here to try to not think because if he let his thoughts wonder he'd think of Optimus and the pain that had come when their relationship had ended. And if he focused on the pain then he'd cry again. Hell he couldn't seen to stop crying. He'd managed to make it back to his room before he started crying after the break up but once the tears had started they'd refused to stop and he cried himself to sleep. Then he'd cried not long after he'd woken up the next morning. He was doing well today though.

Not a single tear yet and he didn't even know how long that was going to last. He'd only cried the once after Mikaela and that had been in the arms of Optimus' avatar. He knew that talking about things like this helped dull the pain but he couldn't bring himself to go to any of the others. Not when they were so busy. He couldn't even bring himself to go to Bumblebee. He knew his guardian could help a lot but he couldn't bring himself to go and talk to him. Poor Bumblebee had been on almost constant patrols and the only time he wasn't out was when he was resting or refueling.

There were others he could go to for help of course. Others that he knew would understand. Lennox or Jolt, or even his mother but he couldn't bring himself to go to either Lennox or Jolt and he didn't want to tell his mother about his break up with Optimus over the phone. Especially when there was a chance that Red Alert might end up listening in. So he was stuck with a lot of others who could probably help and the desire to see none of them. He knew the main reason for why he was like that.

If he told himself the truth the only one he really wanted was Optimus because Optimus had always been able to make him feel better. But he couldn't go to Optimus because it was the mech in question who had reduced him to the miserable state he was in right now. And even if he did go to the Prime how was he supposed to talk to him? The most he could do was tell the Autobot leader about how much he'd been hurt and then give the large robot a talking too about why this whole thing was stupid.

The thing that made him feel worse was that he knew Optimus would listen and then counter every single one of his points with an answer that he couldn't argue with. Arguing with Optimus was more often a futile affair that tended to lead to him having a major headache. Plus he didn't want to see the pity that would surly be in the Autobots optics. So here he was stuck up his tree all by himself and confused as hell about what he was going to do about the situation he had found himself in. One he feared he may never come out of. Sam sniffed and rubbed his nose.

He'd come to the tree in an attempt to not think and all he was doing was thinking. And all this thinking was beginning to make him think of Optimus again and he gave himself five minutes before he started to cry again. But what the fuck was he supposed to do? He loved Optimus more than anything in the world and the thought of living a life without the mech was enough to shake his very core.

There was no one else he wanted. Even if he were to have a chance with Mikaela again he knew that it wouldn't work. They weren't the same people anymore. Looking for someone new wouldn't work either because he didn't really see them. Not in a romantic sense or even a 'might be fun to fling with' sense. Not that he was really into one night stands. In his personal opinion they sucked. Why would you want to spend one night with someone and then never see them again.

Sam sighed and rubbed his temples. He was starting to give himself a headache and his eyes were beginning to water. He knew that he should probably head back to the base soon before the others started getting worried but he anted to stay in the quiet for a little longer and try to will away his developing headache. He hated this. Hated that he'd been reduced to a sobbing thirteen years old girl that had just been called a loser by the popular kids. That what he felt like. Even now all he wanted to do was cry. He suppose he had every right to but he was tired of crying. It'd only make his head hurt worse.

Sam blinked and looked up at the darkening sky. He really needed to go but he still couldn't bring himself to move yet. He was to comfortable. Someone could just come and find him. He didn't care if they were mad at him or not. All he wanted to do was sit in his tree all by himself and enjoy what little joy the action bought him. It wasn't much joy at all and the longer Sam sat there the less he wanted to leave. He watched as the sky changed colors form red and orange to a deepening shade of blue.

The chill that the darkening sky bought with it didn't really bother him. It felt nice and helped dull his headache some. Maybe he could just sleep in the tree. With his luck he'd probably fall out but it was half tempting to try. And try he did. Unfortunately the urge to vomit that came with looking down made him stop before he'd even gotten off his branch.

"Son of a bitch." Sam muttered under his breath as he shook his head slowly. He was stuck in the tree until someone came to get him or his urge to hurl upon looking down straitened out. Leaning back against the truck of the tree Sam took a deep breath and let it out slowly through his nose. Closing his eyes in an attempt to relax he hoped the action might help his head. The only thing he succeeded in doing was drifting off. Thankfully he didn't fall asleep completely but he ended up half awake and half asleep his mind drifting back and forth between the two for a few moments at a time. It just happened that while his mind was more asleep than awake his rescuer came along.

"Sam." Sam's eyes snapped open at the sudden sound and he fought the urge to groan as he looked at the mech in front of him. Of course they would send Optimus after him. Right now Optimus was the last thing on the planet he wanted to see but in a contradicting way he was also the one he wanted to see most. "Optimus." Sam replied. Optimus took a moment to look Sam up and down. "Why aren't you back at the base? Everyone's been worried." Sam sighed as guilt immediately consumed his being and as if to remind him it was still there his headache flared back to life.

"I got stuck." Sam admitted in a quiet voice. Blue optics shuttered in confusion.

"You've climbed up and down this tree many times before. Why would you get stuck now?" Sam rubbed the space between his eyes and wondered if he should just ask Optimus to get him out of the damn tree. Blue optics watched Sam's movements. He'd seen Sam rub the space between his eyes like that before and more often than not it meant only one thing. Sam had a headache. Optimus let out the robotic equivalent of a sight before he held out a hand. Sam eyed if for a moment before he lifted himself up being careful so that he wouldn't be forced to look down. It took his a moment to settle himself down on Optimus' large metal palm after he had finally made it off of his tree branch.

"How bad is it.?" Optimus asked his voice much quieter now.

"Bad enough to keep me up a fucking tree." Sam's voice was quiet and his head rested against one of Optimus' fingers. The cool metal felt much better that the rough bark of the oak tree. He knew that this was his chance to talk to Optimus but now that it had arrived he really didn't want too.

Maybe he was just being a coward about the whole thing. He wasn't really sure but Optimus wasn't talking either so many be he wasn't the only one pondering their relationship. That or Optimus was being quiet for the sake of his pounding head. It was probably the later and for the moment he was fine with that. For now he was content to lean against a cool finger and hope his head would stop hurting. He had time to try and talk to Optimus and he had a feeling that neither one of them were really ready to face the other yet.

Ooo

I may or may not continue this one shot in another one shot. I'm not really sure yet and if I don't then don't get mad at me.


	26. Child

Plot Bunny: An expression of almost childlike hopefulness.

Child

Sam smiled as he watched the children in front of him. Everyone of them wore an expression of hope. Each one hoping that this would be the day that they were adopted and were able to go home with a new family. He could see the look on the faces of other adults too. They all wore an expression of almost childlike hopefulness.

This hope was for finding a child that would help make their own homes complete. It was something he wanted more than anything. The desire was only matched by Optimus who seemed to want one just as badly as Sam did. Both of them had fought long and hard for the right to adopt a child and they had won at last. Now here they were at the orphanage trying to find the kid that they'd take home. Sam knew that they weren't going to get a teenager this go round.

They'd wait till he was a little older because despite Will's teasing Sam knew that a younger child would adjust to their lifestyle much quicker than an older child would. He was just barley out of his teenage years himself and he had no desire to have to go through what most parents went through when their kids were teenagers. He'd prefer to wait and in a few years if they wanted another kid then they could adopt again. It wasn't like he didn't have the time to adopt as many as he wanted. For now though he'd have to settle on a younger child and work his way up. At least this was a new experience for Optimus too.

The mech's avatar stood beside him looking over the kids in the room just as he did. He wasn't sure if he was ready to mingle yet or not. He wanted to try and talk to a few of the kids but the other adults were making it difficult. Sam didn't understand why they seemed to insist on talking to three or four kids at a time. Didn't that just make it harder to choose the one you wanted. Sam's eyes were still sliding over the kids when he caught one older lady staring at him and Optimus. The look on the woman's face was quite readable.

She looked at them like they were something that belonged in the trash. Sam sighed his desire to try and get to know the kids filling the room dieing just a bit. "Don't let her bother you." Sam looked over at Optimus. The man blue eyes had rested on the woman for a moment before they began roaming the room again. He watched everyone in the room like he could see into their very souls. Sam smiled a little as he slipped his hand into Optimus' their fingers intertwining.

"I know I shouldn't but she isn't really helping my nerves." Optimus only chuckled.

"Why in the name of Primus are you nervous little one?" Optimus swore that even if they spent a million years together that he'd never fully understand his human bonded's tendency to get nervous about every little thing. Sam scratched the back of his head.

"It's just the whole choosing a kid thing I guess. I mean what if none of them like us or something?" Optimus didn't miss the hand that ran across one of the scars that crossed the back of Sam's hand. He had a similar set of scars running down the right side of his face.

Optimus sighed and wrapped his arms around Sam in a light hug. The scars given to him by Megatron bothered Sam something awful. The reason why he had them didn't bother Sam at all but the way people reacted upon seeing them bothered Sam greatly. "Don't you worry about what they think one bit and if someone asks then tell them what you tell everyone else who sticks their nose in your business when they really shouldn't. As for the kids I highly doubt that it's the scars keeping them away."

Sam laughed and turned in Optimus' arms in order to place a kiss on the avatars cheek. "Thank you." Sam said as he turned to look at the kids again only to notice that that same woman was still looking at them. Figuring that it'd be best to be polite (at least in front of the kids) Sam waved at the woman. She took a moment to glare at Sam before turning back to the man that had to be her husband and the kids that they were talking to.

"Don't let her bother you." Both Sam and Optimus jerked a bit in surprise at the unexpected voice. "Mrs. Buis tends to treat most people she doesn't know like that and she tends to know just about everybody." The young lady that stood beside them smiled as she shook her head at the woman she had identified as Mrs. Buis. "Unfortunately that also tends to mean that if you're a same sex couple she'll give you hell for just breathing." Sam blinked as he looked between Optimus and the young lady standing next to them. Squinting he was just able to make out the name on her name tag. The tag read Sadie West.

"You seem to know a lot about her." Optimus said as he eyed Sadie.

Sadie let out a very unlady like snort. "Unfortunately. She's part of the city council and so am I. Her husbands alright. Kinda timed but alright. But anyways I'm getting off topic. I actually came over to see if either of you needed help." Both Optimus and Sam took a moment to smile at Sadie's willingness to help them.

"I'm sure you could help us." Optimus said

"We're looking for a child and well Sam here can't seem to move past rude people staring." Sadie laughed a little while Sam blushed and hid his face in his hands while muttering something that couldn't quite be understood.

"Ya, the crowd here can be kinda intimidating. Would you like me to get one of the hiders for you?" Sadie asked.

"That would be nice. Wouldn't it Sam?" Sam sighed and nodded.

"Sounds good to me. This way I can avoid Mrs. Buis' death glare." Optimus chuckled and shook his head a little.

"Good luck with that and if you find a way that works pass it on to me why don't ya." Sadie said to them as she turned and left the room presumably to look for one of the kids that was hiding from the adults.

"She's nice." Sam said as he and Optimus moved over to one of the walls in order to sit in the seats lined up there.

"She's very helpful. I wonder if she works here or if she just volunteers." Sam shrugged. It could be either one of those options. It didn't really matter either way. Sam couldn't help but smile as he watched the adults and children in the room. Everyone looked hopeful and excited. Even Mr. Buis looked like he was enjoying himself despite his wife.

"Do you think we'll find a kid Optimus?" Sam asked quietly.

"It's possible that we might and it's also possible that we might not. We'll know the child we want when we see them and get to know them a little bit. Don't worry to much Sam. Even if we don't find a child here there are plenty of other orphanages to go to and we have plenty of time." Sam knew Optimus was right but he felt a little like a coward for not approaching any of the children in the room.

Then again none of them had approached them either. Sam watched as a few couples pointed at both him and Optimus. He knew that they were being talked about and wished that the people doing the talking had enough sense to wait until they were gone to do it. Or maybe they just didn't care that both he and Optimus could see them talking and pointing. Sam winced as he watched one woman motion down one side of her face. She was pointing out his scars. It didn't help that the woman she was talking to turned and stared straight at him with her mouth agape.

"Ignore them Sam." Optimus said as he eyed his bonded. Optimus knew that Sam hated attention like this and had they not been here for a good reason they would have simply left but they couldn't. They had yet to try and find a child to adopt. It wasn't really the type of mission that he was used to but it was one that he was determined to succeed in. It was something that both of them wanted badly. Sam let out a soft sigh as he leaned on Optimus' shoulder. Apparently Sadie was having a lot of trouble finding the kids that were hiding for she had yet to return.

"Do you think the kids ate her?" Sam asked Optimus causing the man to chuckle.

"I suppose that it's possible but it doesn't seem very likely. She may be trying to find more than one child. She did say hiders after all."

"True. If she's not back in fifteen minutes should we go looking?"

"No it's also possible that she ended up sidetracked. She'll be here before you know it." Optimus smiled as he and Sam talked in quiet voices. The conversation was silly but it was one of the few ways Sam was able to distract himself and with a group of moms and would be moms huddled in a corner talking and pointing Sam needed all the distraction he could get. At lest this way he wasn't constantly worrying about someone staring at them or at his scars. The sound of running feet stopped their conversation.

A group of eight or nine kids had just run into the room and many of the adults were now turning their focus from Sam and Optimus to the children. A few of the kids glanced their way but other than that they didn't really pay the couple any attention. It was only when Sadie walked over to them that they turned away.

"I think I have one for you to talk to but your going to have to go to her. I couldn't get here to come out of her room." Sam and Optimus glanced at each other before both of them stood.

"That's fine." Sadie nodded at Optimus before looking over at Sam, who had glanced back at the other adults to see if they were looking again.

"Well follow me then." Sadie said as she lead the pair out of the room and down a hallway. The room they entered was fairly small but it was quite warm as well. The walls were painted a creamy yellow and colored coloring book pages hung on the walls. A small bed sat on each side of the room with a large dresser sitting by the door.

A few battered and beaten toys lay on the floor. There was nothing in the room to set it apart from the numerous other rooms in the orphanage. Well nothing except the child sitting at a small table coloring. Bare feet swung back and forth as the child hummed and unknown melody. Long curly black hair hung down to the child waist. Optimus ruffled Sam's own curly brown locks as if to point out the connection. Sam snorted and pushed the avatar's hand away.

"I promise that she won't bite. So go and say hello." Sadie said as she pushed Sam towards the little girl. Optimus eyed the woman for a moment half expecting her to push him as well. "I have more sense than that." Sadie said as she watched Sam. "Besides I have the feeling that he needed it more than you. Optimus chuckled and nodded in agreement.

"Thank you for this. I wouldn't have been able to get him to enter the crowd of other parents." Optimus said in a low voice as he watched Sam move slowly towards the child.

"Ya. I kinda got that feeling. But this should work out fairly well. She's really shy too." Sadie smiled as she watched Sam's steady approach. It seemed like she was about to say something more but a loud yell interrupted her before she could even get started.

"Well that would be Mrs. Buis. I'd better go see what she wants. I'll come back and check on you guys in a few minutes."

"Good luck with her."

"I'll need it." Sadie left the room without another word. Leaving Sam and Optimus alone with the child coloring at the table. Optimus moved forward and placed a hand on Sam's shoulder before he cleared his throat. The child jumped in her seat before turning to look at them.

"Who are you?" The child asked in a small timid voice. Sam looked at Optimus for the briefest of seconds before bending down to the child eye level.

"My names Sam and this is Orion but I call him Optimus." Sam's voice was almost as quiet as the girls voice had been when she had spoken.

"What's your name youngling?" Optimus asked as he bent down beside Sam so that he could look the child in the eyes. He blinked his eyes going wide a bit at the sight of the girls eye color. They were blue the exact same shade of blue as his.

"My names Audra." She answered as she looked back and forth between both Optimus and Sam. Something between the three of them clicked.

OoOoO

Sadie sighed as she watched Mr. and Mrs. Buis walk out the front door their newly adopted little boy in tow. She wondered if she should go and check on the two men she had taken to Audra's room earlier. She hoped that the fact that they hadn't showed back up in the main room was a good thing. Poor Audra was far to shy. She hardly ever came out of her room on adoption days and most parents were looking for a child with a little more spirit. The child needed someone who was willing to dig that spirit up. She'd had a feeling about the male couple when she had first seen them. There had been something about them that had just seemed to scream that they'd be perfect for Audra. Plus with how shy the brunette seemed to be she was sure that he'd understand how nervous Audra was.

There was an air around the couple that was hard to resist. She could tell just by looking at them that both of them were kind but stern and very loving. They'd love a child with ease and would hopefully provide an equal balance of freedom and discipline. She found herself hoping that they found a child. All the better if that child was Audra. The poor girl needed a good home and a loving family after all she had been through. Sadie looked up upon hearing the sound of footsteps coming down the hall. It was the black haired man that had been with the brunette. Sadie smiled when she noticed that said brunette wasn't with him.

"Cam I help you?" Optimus smiled as he looked at the woman in front of him.

"I believe that you already have but if you're willing I'd like your assistance again." Sadie smiled as she began sorting through papers.

"So who ended up talking first your partner or Audra?" Optimus chuckled.

"Well Audra talked first but that was only after I cleared my throat and scared her."

"She can be a bit jumpy at times but she's a good kid. She deserves the best. All the kids here do really." Optimus nodded in understanding.

He could still feel Sam's joy radiating down their bond. That whole in their lives had just been filled. Neither one of them could wait to get Audra home so that they could introduce the newest member of their family. Tomorrow they would go shopping for anything that audra needed and didn't have and probably several this she didn't really need but wanted. It was the beginning of a new stage in his and Sam's life and relationship.

Things from now on would be different. There would be hard times and easy times and sometimes one of them would want to pull their hair out, real or not. Raising a child was something new to both of them and there would be plenty of mistakes made but there were always people that would be more than willing to help them. He was looking forward to all of the memories that wee to come. All the joys, sorrows, love, and heartbreak. This was something that they needed. Both him and Sam.

"Okay I have all the forms you need here and a few extra that you might need if you live in town. A form for school and a good babysitter service for if you need it. That sort of thing." Sadie said as she handed Optimus all the required documents. Optimus nodded as he flipped through the stack of papers. He was about to make his way back to Sam and Audra but Sadie stopped him.

"Unless you want to sign those in crayon then you might want this." Sadie said as handed Optimus a pen.

OoOoO

Sam smiled as he listened to Audra talk. She was quite the little chatterbox once she got used to whomever she was meeting. God Sadie had them pegged apparently. Audra looked like a mix between him and Optimus only with a bit more of Optimus in her features. The thing was though that she was turning out to have his personality. Shy until she got used to a person and then she was ready to talk for as long as you wanted to talk. She was perfect. She was everything he had hoped for and more and he loved her already. It felt like he ad known her all of her life instead of just the past half hour.

It was like it was when he was with Optimus. Everything fit just right to make a picture of amazing beauty and now their picture was even more beautiful. They had a child. Their family was complete and that while that had been eating at him for the longest of times was gone as if it had never been. His life was as complete as it was ever going to be and he looked forward to starting on this newest change as soon as he was able. The future was bright and nothing was going to change that.

Ooo

So comes the end of Fifty thousand words. I think I did a little over fifty thousand words but oh well I hit my goal. I figured I do my last chapter as a kinda rough draft for when sam and Optimus adopt Audra. I'm not sure if this idea will become a fic or not. I'll decide after Full Moon Rising and possiblely Dog Collar are done.

Sorry for the wait but I wasn't able to go to the library last week because we had a big snowstorm last weekend. So for those of you who read my other stories if I don't update Dog Collor along with this one then my newest chapter should be out next week.

Oh and for those of you who don't know. Now I myself aren't exactly sure which month it is but Transformers 3 comes out on either June or July 1st 2011. So we have a little under a year and a half to wait. I'm excited already! Now then until my next update. On my other stories not this one. Please read and Review.


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